Berhampur,Jan. 7: From prognosis to paintings, medical students proved their skills at the two-day Annual Scientific Exhibition and Spectamen-2015 organised by the Academic Society of MKCG Medical College that started today.

'This exhibition aims to encourage the students, who are very good at photography and paintings. Generally, people think that medical students are only good in studies. We want to show them that we are equally good in art and have creativity. Besides, such open-to-all exhibitions would enlighten the public, especially the college and school students, about medical science and create interest among them,' said secretary of the society Sobhan Rout, who is studying in fourth year.

The annual art and photograph gallery has been organised since past nine years, Rout said.

'As many as 360 photographs by 10 participants and 66 paintings by the medical students are being displayed here. We are also having a science exhibition on subjects such as anatomy, physiology, pathology, microbiology and forensic medicine and toxicology. We have not included the clinical departments such as surgery, because it is a tough task to display and our main focus is on non-clinical subjects,' said Rout.

Nineteen paintings by Rajaram Swain, a fourth-year student, attracted the visitors as he had used the concept of lotus in each of them.

'I use the lotus pattern in various geometrical forms such as circles, cubes, triangles and so on. The idea of using lotus has come from the temples of India. I started painting when I was studying Class VI. The concept of lotus has dominated my paintings since past four years,' Swain said.

Puri boy Swain said his elder brother Sitaram Swain, a postgraduate from J.J. School of Arts in Mumbai, was working as a professional artist in Hyderabad. He has been inspired and encouraged by his brother's work. 'Though medical science is a difficult course that I can't overlook, I can't live without painting,' said Swain, who is also a student of the Expo Art Academy in Puri.

Adyasha Mishra, a first-year student, and a native of Chandrasekharpur in Bhubaneswar, took part in the exhibition for the first time with four oil paintings. She has learned painting from Class I and said her teacher Sandeep Nayak had inspired her. Her modern paintings portrayed the role of women and their sufferings in the society, and Taj Mahal.

'I enjoyed seeing the science exhibition. I have had some basic knowledge about human anatomy. But, this exhibition really enlightened me,' said Sudhanshu Mohan Palo, a Class IX student of Saraswati Sishu Bidya Mandir at Ramahari Nagar.

'I still can't believe that medical students can paint on canvas with such perfection,' said artist Pratap Kishore Bishoyi, who has created many paintings on the walls of the official buildings here in recent years.