Dubai, September 10: Hasangi Imasha Karunamuni and her team consisting of Rachel Samuel, Catherine Andrews and Nabila Kidwai — all students of Westminster School, Dubai — have symbolised the achievement of Dubai taking the Metro into account, on a four piece canvas painting.
“The development of the Metro speaks volumes about how Dubai has transformed so fast. A few years back nobody would have ever imagined something so brilliant in the city,” said Hasangi.
Putting four canvases together the image depicts the functionality of the Metro, a train that will transport thousands of residents throughout the day, providing a seamless connection to all the corners of the city when completed. “It was basically our principal’s vision that we have managed to put on to paper. After a series of sketches we finalised a design that would show Dubai in its true element. We chose some world renowned buildings, including the Burj Dubai, Burj Al Arab; malls like the Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates and all most everything that the emirate is known for,” she said.
When completed, the Dubai Metro will be the longest automated driverless metro system in the world, and the first in the Middle East.
With the expectation that thousands of residents will use it as a mode of transport, traffic jams will be woes of the past, and so reads the painting.
“We have shown very few cars on the road because the Metro is going to ease the traffic,” said Hasangi.
Neville Sherman, principal of the school said he has seen the Metro develop piece by piece while on his way to school everyday.
“Its stunning, I wanted the students to capture the whole red line right to our school,” he said. The Metro will be promoted as an alternate mode of transport among the students at the school.
“Many children come from Sharjah and many suffer in the morning traffic. The Metro is a practical solution to this and will alleviate the problem,” he said.
It will also aid in reducing the carbon footprint of the country.
“We have a go-green initiative as well and the Metro is the perfect example of that,” he added.
Hasangi and her team were often at loggerheads on the colours they would use and buildings they would paint but they finally agreed that His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the falcon and flag had to feature in the painting. The girls will be frequent travellers of the metro. “After all it will also be a fun way to see the city,” they said.
–Agencies