On the Wall

Sometimes,all a city needs is inspired and talented artists to lend colour to its being. For the group of six assembled in Delhi’s Uday Park on Sunday morning,an empty wall acted as their canvas. Over the next eight hours,as the neighbours watched,a picturesque garden was created — with leaves falling off a lush green banyan tree,birds perched on wires,and a mug of cappuccino suspended in air,to complete the fantasy world. “It’s colourful and pretty — the kind of surrounding that Delhi lacks,” says Kanika Seth,graphic designer who is one of the members of the team that works under the banner of The Wall Project. “We want to make the city more beautiful,its walls are too dull right now,” she adds. To fulfill the aim,the team will shortlist one wall in the Capital each weekend.

While a similar group has been active in Mumbai for two years,the Delhi chapter was initiated in May when Seth read about the activities of their Mumbai counterparts on the Net. Once the go-ahead came from the Mumbai project head Dhanya Pilo,volunteers were scouted in Delhi. The core team of six comprises professionals including a graphic artist,designer and public relations manager. “But what we are really looking forward to is for the people to chip in,” says Seth,who will be painting the 15-feet wall near SDA Market in Delhi’s Hauz Khas next Sunday. A proposal is also being drafted to seek permission from the New Delhi Municipal Corporation to paint on walls identified in Khan Market and Defence Colony. “We have assured the authorities that there will be no defacing of walls,which is what graffiti is often associated with,” says Seth.

The depictions will avoid political and religious connotations. “The aim is not to make a point,but to improve the surrounding,” says Seth. She gives the example of the artwork painted in Bandra in Mumbai,where idols of Christ share space with black and white portraits of the residents. On the 2.4 km-long wall that spans Tulsi Pipe Road,messages of peace and social awareness are promoted through kitschy patterns and giraffes looking over cloudy cityscapes. “There is no brief. What is eventually on the wall is a surprise. We could paint the Qutub Minar next time,but there has to be something lively about it,” says Seth. In ten days,she already has over 100 members supporting the project on Facebook. “We hope they join us to paint,” she says.