Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
In focus
Written by Aryesh Chakraborty
In a city where walls often go unnoticed or fade under layers of grime, a group of young mural artists is quietly transforming public and unused walls into vibrant canvases, motivated not by commissions or contracts but by a deep, shared love for art and social impact.
From narrow lanes in residential neighbourhoods to dull sidewalls of government buildings, a quiet revolution is underway in Pune. Young artists like Prathamesh Shinde, Siddhant Shirsat, and Nilima Gadling are reclaiming neglected walls, not for fame or fortune, but to restore beauty and spread messages of hope and harmony.
“I have done over 16,000 paintings so far, many of them on public walls, and a lot of it wasn’t for money,” says Shinde, 22, a self-taught artist from Pune who began his journey six years ago under the guidance of a local muralist. “Sometimes I just feel a connection with a space. Once in Rameshwaram, I saw a wall and felt I had to paint Lord Shiva there. I even bought the colours myself. It is about love and peace,” he adds.
Shirsat, 23, an architecture graduate who is now a full-time artist, believes mural art offers a rare moment of pause in an otherwise chaotic world. “Art has the power to stop time for someone,” he says. “People are always rushing. But when they see something beautiful on a wall, they stop. They experience it.”
Together with his partner Pranav Relekar, 30, Shirsat has been doing projects that are not always funded. “Every month, we try to paint a charitable hospital, orphanage, or cancer ward for free,” Shirsat says. “We fund the materials ourselves. It is a way of connecting with the people who stay there, and making their space more meaningful.”
Gadling, 31, who works mainly with lines and minimal textures, echoed similar sentiments. “As artists, we are always looking for a canvas,” she says. “If I see a blank wall in a peaceful neighbourhood, I sometimes ask the owner if I can paint it. They are usually happy to let us, and we get complete freedom to express what we feel.”
These artists function within a larger creative aesthetic in the city that blends client work with deeply personal, non-commercial initiatives. Many of them have backgrounds in architecture or design, but derive more satisfaction from visual storytelling on public walls and spaces.
“Wallpaper is too generic now,” says Relekar, who left architecture to pursue art full time. “People sometimes need a personalised experience even on their building exteriors. That is where murals come in. Apart from that, we also work in spaces where people cannot afford art, and we do it to bring smiles,” he tells The Indian Express.
The works often weave in messages pertaining to cleanliness, social health, or environmental awareness. “Even in clients’ work, we try to include a story, a message. Walls are not just concrete, they are canvases for change,” Relekar says.
As Shinde puts it, “We are not just painting walls, we are creating something that lasts – not on canvas, but in people’s lives.”
Aryesh Chakraborty is an intern with The Indian Express.
