History, mythology, and dance forms come to life on Delhi walls, courtesy local street artists

Showing the picture, which is of gods sitting on a boat, Khan, who is from a small town in Uttar Pradesh, said, “My contractor sent me this for reference. I think it’s a picture of Radha-Krishna sitting on a boat with some gopis… I have contributed to making other huge pictures of Krishna, Bajrangbali, Shri Ram and other deities.”

He prides himself on transforming the most ordinary walls with a brush. “I have worked as a street artist in many cities across India. I currently work as a daily-wage artist for which I am paid Rs 700 for 8 hours a day in the Pragati Maidan area. I have been working on this for the last one-and-a-half months,” he said.

Khan gets work for six months. For the rest of the year, he earns by painting walls at construction sites.

To offer the city a creative and visual facelift for the Summit, civic bodies in Delhi have employed local artists to spruce up walls in bright colours. According to officials stationed around Pragati Maidan, between 20-30 street artists had been assigned work in the area around the Bharat Mandapam convention centre to paint murals on drab walls and give the area a vibrant appearance.

Paintings outside Mandi House Metro station (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

A number of walls now sport colourful and geometric murals.

Under railway under-bridge 13, where the road divides into 3 sections, each side of the wall is being decorated with eye-catching colours. One such wall depicts a steam engine train crossing a bridge against a forested backdrop, while the opposite wall depicts the Vande Bharat Express chugging through against a backdrop of multi-storey buildings, depicting an image of modern India.

Another wall depicts towering and graceful figures performing various poses from Kathak, Kathakali, Bharatnatyam, Ghoomar, Manipuri, and Mohiniyattam dance forms as well as a representation of the Natraja.

Other wall paintings include graphic representations of famous historical figures such as Ahilyabai, Maharana Pratap, and Prithviraj Chauhan; popular Indian monuments; paintings of peacocks, trees, lotuses, cows, fish, and deer in traditional art styles such as Madhubani and Warli art. Dumpyard walls too are being spruced up with artwork.

Currently, artists are racing to meet strict deadlines. “The Lieutenant Governor has been making regular visits to the area. We have 2-3 days to complete these paintings. Many paintings were spoilt due to the downpour last week. Others have paint stains since bridges in the area were painted after the murals had come up. All finishing touches should be completed in a week’s time if we work day and night,” Santosh, a street artist, said.

Commuters, meanwhile, were seen taking photos in front of the doodled walls outside the Mandi House metro station. Prakash Sharma, a trained artist, was in the midst of finishing a painting with the help of many other artists. “I have worked all over India… I’ve been working on this wall for the past week and I need another week to finish…,” he said.