Chief minister Raghubar Das, who completed one year in office on Monday, is getting an ethnic makeover of his official residence in Kanke Road, Ranchi, which reflects the state's rich artistic heritage.

The boundary wall of the home of Jharkhand's first non-tribal chief minister's official residence has become a canvas for tribal art forms sohrai and khovar.

The paintings, with distinctive animal, bird and flower motifs, are being drawn across the 3,000-feet-long boundary wall by a group of nine folk artists sourced by state art and culture department.

The all-woman group - seven are from Gumla and one each is from Lohardaga and Ranchi - started work from December 25 and hope to complete their work in a week.

Among them is Gumla's Jyoti Panna, who has come all the way from Sisai block, Gumla district. The 37-year-old sohrai and khovar painter said this was an assignment she was proud of.

"I am beautifying the residence of my state's chief minister with something we call winter harvest art in our villages. I'm very proud of this assignment because I believe many VIPs will come and see this work. I am sure many tourists who come to Ranchi also come and see the chief minister's house. They will surely notice this colourful boundary wall," said the artist who was felicitated for her skill by the state in 2013.

Explaining the difference between sohrai and khovar, both celebratory forms of tribal wall paintings, Panna said: "Sohrai has motifs symbolising harvest, and is usually painted with swabs of cloth and even datwan (neem twigs used to brush teeth). Khovar has auspicious motifs symbolising marriage and is painted with combs. For ages, natural colours of soils and charcoal have been used for paintings. But today, we're using enamel paints and brushes."

The mother of two sons, Ayush (12) and Abhinav (8), Panna who is associated with Lalit Kala Akademi, has showcased her talent in Delhi and Gujarat during exhibitions. She has also won accolades for adorning walls with tribal art forms at Judicial Academy, Hotwar State Museum, DRDA buildings in Khunti and Gumla, and also holds workshops in sohrai and khovar.

Saraswati Kujur, who came from Lohardaga district, said the experience has been quite amazing. "We are already getting appreciation," she said.

Roshni Bhagat from Ranchi said what made this Monday special for them was that they were helping the chief minister's house look good on a day he had completed his first year in office.

State art and culture director Anil Kumar Singh said they conceived this proposal as a statement of their seriousness in reviving vibrant tribal forms practised in villages. "We are also planning to get walls of government offices painted similarly," Singh said.