At Sahyadri Commerce and Management College in Shivamogga, the walls do far more than hold up a building. They tell stories.
A portrait of Kuvempu at the entrance sets the tone. Along the corridors, delicate Hase chittara patterns unfold in earthy red and white. Elsewhere, murals and motifs turn ordinary corners into spaces that feel warm, rooted and full of life. For students walking to class, these walls are now part of the college’s identity.
What makes them even more special is this: the artists behind them are students themselves.
Rihan A and Meghana K S have transformed the campus with their work, bringing together personal talent, cultural tradition and a deep sense of belonging. Their art has changed how the college looks, but it has also changed how it feels.
Final-year students Rihan and Meghana painted campus walls with murals and Hase chittara Photograph: (S K Dinesh/The Hindu)
For Rihan, a final-year BA student at Sahyadri Arts College, drawing began in childhood. He doodled constantly, and the people around him noticed. Parents, relatives and teachers encouraged him, and over time, his talent turned into skill. By Class 9, he had already begun painting signboards and wall murals for small sums. Later, he worked on Nali-Kali educational panels in government schools.
When he arrived on the Sahyadri campus for his degree, that talent found a wider canvas. Supported by the college administration, Rihan began painting signboards and murals on campus walls. What he has created now lives in the everyday rhythm of college life.
Meghana, a final-year B.Com student, brought another layer of beauty to the campus. She comes from a family of Hase artists and learnt the traditional art form by watching her grandmother Halamma and mother Saroja. Popular in Karnataka’s Malnad region, Hase chittara is known for its geometric patterns and its presence during weddings and other auspicious occasions.
When Meghana mentioned Hase drawing as her hobby during an introductory class, the faculty recognised what she could bring to the space. Her patterns now run across the campus, carrying a tradition that usually belongs inside homes and ceremonies into the shared life of a college.
Meghana K S with her Hase chittara artwork at Sahyadri College, Shivamogga, alongside Rathmath Tarikere, Prof T Avinash and Prof Prakash Marganahalli. Photograph: (The Hindu)
Together, Rihan and Meghana have done something lovely. They have made the college feel more alive, more rooted, and more personal. Their work has also travelled beyond campus walls through National Service Scheme camps in nearby villages, where their paintings have earned appreciation from locals.
Most students leave college with memories. Rihan and Meghana will leave with something more lasting.
Long after they graduate, a part of them will remain on these walls, greeting every student who walks by.
