Why Beautifying Mumbai’s Walls Is A Good Idea
Last year the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a circular allotting a fund of Rs. 30.5 crores to each of its 24 wards – a whopping Rs.790 crores in total – to be used for improving road dividers, traffic islands, illumination of popular junctions and improvement of footpaths. Specifically out of the allotment, Rs.240 crores has been allotted to just ‘beautification’ of each of the wards, with wall paintings being a special area of interest. Media reports also have it that funds are also being diverted from the civic body’s contingency fund for this beautification exercise and an estimated expenditure of Rs.892 crores has been earmarked overall to make Mumbai look more enticing and charming.
I live in Worli in Mumbai. The transformation that began in our ward because of being the privileged constituency of Aditya Thackeray, thankfully has not eased off post his being edged out of power. On the contrary, the initial work that he had done on the Dr. Annie Besant flyover and the walkway opposite Famous Studios, bordering the Race Course has only picked up more momentum with the traffic junctions at Ganpatrao Kadam Marg and Dr. E. Moses Road acquiring interesting installations. Also, the underbelly of the Tulsi Pipe Road flyover has been extremely well done with murals on the support pillars. Hundreds of meters of wall paintings have come up along Dr. Annie Besant Road and continue all the way up to Marine Drive, and beyond. The allotted monies are obviously being spent, and being spent visibly.
The entire area in and around Bandra has street art sprouting up almost everywhere on hitherto barren walls. The beauty of the area is further enhanced by the Christmas-like lighting around Leelavati hospital (the G20 embellishments all over the city have further helped). But what fascinates me most is the 100-meters long wall mural that I pass every day at Jogeshwari on the way to my office in Goregaon, on the Western Express Highway. Arid, in fact dirty, rocks have been painted over pretty aesthetically, with a prominent 3-D “I Love Jogeshwari” signage that is used by one and all for selfies! There is no doubt that the wall paintings have been embraced by all wards with much enthusiasm across Mumbai. The quality, the design and the aesthetics are of course sometimes subjective and somewhat questionable. But the intent to push for a nicer looking Mumbai is pretty obvious.
Urban art is a great way to dive into a city’s local personality. Melbourne with its colorful laneways, including Hosier Lane, to its less conspicuous nooks and crannies, is a street art lover’s delight. Works by Ghostpatrol along Napier, the Exhibition Streets in the Fitzroy quarter; the world-renowned Meggs and the walls in Rone just make the city look wondrously beautiful. In Lisbon fado themed street art works in Mouraria and the amazing wall displays in the lively Bairro Alto are just fascinating. And Bibliophiles never miss the Graça Literary Walk where street art is literally divine. Art cognoscenti know that Buenos Aires is an incredible art destination thanks to international festivals like International Contemporary Art Biennial of South America and the arteBA contemporary fair. The large-scale works of Ever (Nicolás Romero Escalada), the whimsical murals of Martin Ron, and the delightfully provocative pieces by Milu Correch make Buenos Aires a street art paradise. Bushwick, a Brooklyn neighbourhood in New York has become an international street art mecca. So have Williamsburg and Harlem.
Paris especially is well known for its street art. If you take a stroll through the streets of Ménilmontant and Belleville in the 20th arrondissement you discover graffiti, frescoes and stencils that are just awesome. Works by famous French artist Jerome Mesnager, such as Man in White, Nemo, or his black-raincoat-and-hat character that sometimes also sports an umbrella or a red balloon, are famous in Ménilmontant.
In Spain, cities get coloured by wonderful flower drawings through the urban cross stitch street art (Guerrilla knitting). Raquel Rodrigo is now a world famous exponent of such artworks. In London, the street art is so widespread and appreciated that there are real touristic itineraries and museums to celebrate and enhance it. In Italy there are street art festivals such as the CVTà Street Fest, Murali Street Art Forlì and the Outdoor Festival. The famous East Side Gallery in Berlin of course is the platinum standard: it goes on and colors more or less the whole city.
So Mumbai is moving in the right direction by beautifying its public walls. Street art is part of the recipe of creating a true global city. But a few words of caution. And advice. Street art around the world is not state-sponsored. It is a product of citizen artistry. Of course local boroughs do help and support. But most of the art is largely spontaneous. Also, much of what is being done in many parts of Mumbai is not really street art: it is a government-mandated effort to obliterate dirty walls with paint and some motifs – the bar in creativity has to be raised more than a few notches.
If the BMC plans to push this initiative further into the future, then it would do well to invite some well known artists from Mumbai – Gurcharan Singh, Brinda Miller, Charan Sharma, Ravi Mandlik, Ajay De, Kahini Merchant, Milburn Cherian, Baiju Parthan, Nayanaa Kanodia and more – to paint some of their works as street art for public adulation by the masses. This will enhance the value of street art and put us on par with some of the more evolved global cities.
Equally, encouragement needs to be provided to younger, upcoming artists. Their works need to be attributed and showcased. The Mumbai Urban Art Festival (MUAF), as part of The Sassoon Dock Art Project, contributed greatly to contemporary public art heritage creation in the city. It featured new interventions and activations aimed at initiating a dialogue in the right circles. The idea of a ‘city in flux’, discussed at MUAF, will surely help in the creation of more and more permanent outdoor murals and a more beautiful Mumbai.
Dr. Sandeep Goyal, MD of Rediffusion, recently set up his private ‘The Kailasham Museum’ in Delhi NCR. He owns perhaps the largest collections of studio ceramics in India.
