Anecdote 1: May
2006
Jadavpur
University, Calcutta
“I
hope those pamphlets are ready?”- Let me confess, I was extremely nervous. It
was perhaps one of our earliest attempts at creating something extraordinary,
we had very few members in the team but there was no shortage in talent.
“The
printing press takes its own sweet time, mate”- Swaroop uttered- “We have
reminded them almost thrice today, still no response.” This meant disaster.
“The
event is just a couple of days away my friend!!”- I shouted frantically- “If we
do not get the posters and pamphlets on time, how do we spread the word in such
a short period?”
“WAIT!
Let’s no panic. I have a better plan.”- Swaroop’s resounding assurance took us
by surprise- “We have such talented artists in our team, why don’t we start
painting on the walls? Without wasting resources, we can spread the word
effectively.” Believe me, at that moment of crisis, these words were like gold
dust. The canvas was rugged, approvals staggered, resources limited, but at the
end of the day, the intent was right. A team of 5 students transformed one
filthy, overlooked corner of the campus into their cherished canvas.
Anecdote 2: May
2016
Lodhi Art
District, New Delhi
“Sir,
it’s been more than 6 hours. When will you be done?” – The grumpy auto-driver
screeched impatiently.
That
broke my trance. I quickly checked my watch and realized that it was already 7
PM; Delhi, unlike Calcutta, experiences extended hours of sunshine and the visibility
was decent. But then, that was merely the reason. Honestly speaking, I was
absolutely blown-away by the fact that an entire colony has been transformed
into a vivid gallery, an exhibition of artistry, adroitness and unmatched
skill. Something very similar to what we had envisaged almost a decade ago; it
was almost like a walk down memory lane…those hours spent in conceptualizing,
rather dreaming of a day when our city would be sheathed in colors of hope.
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Walk down memory lane: Self portrait at the Lodhi Art District An unforgettable experience |
I
stood for almost an hour in-front of the gigantic-bird-etched-murals; it was
magical indeed. It was as if I was transported to those child-hood days, the
yearning of being flown “around the world in eighty days” by this mighty bird. They
have attached a technical terminology in line with this initiative called “city
beautification”, but if you ask me, a drive as altruistic as this, could have
multiple positive implications:
- Inspiring creativity: Since the seeds of creativity are inbred
right from the child-hood, a colony full of colorful wall-art and murals can
inspire the younger generation. Not only would this motivate them to try out
newer forms of art at home but inculcate the awareness that walls are not
supposed to be littered.
- Photographers’ paradise: Being a passionate photo enthusiast, I do
realize the necessity of interesting backdrops that can, in effect, make or
break a photograph. And the statement is genre-agnostic, a colorful, vibrant
and meaningful back-drop is alluring for both fashion as well as street photographers.
- Promotes underground artists: A properly outlined drive can actually create
a lot of buzz across the various layers of the society and it can, in effect,
bring the supremely talented underground artists out of their closet. I
believe, every city has a huge pool of such ingenious “beings” who are gifted
with the flair of transforming a Nation with their unique “mode of expression”,
if they get the right platform. As a matter of fact, St+Art India who have been
instrumental in “revving up” the Lodhi Colony, has involved a number of such
artists. At the end of the day, a consortium of “skill” makes a huge impact.
- Uplifts the face of your city:
Imagine hundreds of people clicking selfies
with the wall in the backdrop and sharing on social media every day, imagine
popular media channels covering such initiatives regularly, imagine the impact
your Instagram post uploaded with popular hashtags like #graffiti or #wall art-
the reach is uninhibited, we call it the “multiplier” effect. This, in effect,
glorifies your own city and establishes the fact that it is indeed one of the artistic hubs of the country. The fact
that these art-works represent the true essence of the city, makes them all the
more magnetic.
- Boosts the Tourism sector: I was recently having an animated
conversation with one of my Instagram followers who resides in Belgium and loves
documenting street art from across the globe. And since Calcutta, of late, has
made a sparkling entry into the wall-art scene, she was extremely inquisitive
about the kind of initiatives that are taken by the artists in collaboration
with popular brands of the city. Mid-way through this conversation, I realized
that the “City beautification” drive could actually lead to a boost in the
tourism sector and of course, enhance footfall in those particular “hotspots”. The
“quirk-factor” coupled with depiction of traditional art forms is the key
growth driver.
In this very context, let me take this
opportunity to congratulate Berger Paints India for launching an absolutely phenomenal initiative “Kolkata Street Art Festival” (#KSAF) that not only ticks the 5 key
pointers, but goes beyond that and emphasizes on the principle of “sustainable
art”. Honestly speaking, purely from a photographer’s point of view, I was
elated to receive an invitation from Berger Paints for a
day-long-bloggers-city-tour because that not only gave me an opportunity to
document some unique frames, but took me back to those nostalgic college days.
As a part of this path-breaking initiative, Berger Paints intends to paint 10
walls, 3 metro stations and 2 trams in the first phase and extend the coverage
there-after based on the response they get from the citizens; and we would love
it if they cover major parts of North Calcutta as well. The best part is, the
intention is to carry this “drive” to the other cities as well; that opens up
the vision of this entire campaign for me.
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Kolkata Street Art Festival: The wonderful wall-art right outside the iconic Eden Gardens |
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Kolkata Street Art Festival: The wonderful wall-art right outside the iconic Eden Gardens |
Absolutely indebted to Prof. Jogen
Chowdhury, an eminent artist & Member of Parliament who has mentored this
program and the team of 20 fantastic artists led by senior artist Mr Barun Saha
and Mr Rintu Roy who have embarked on a journey that would probably change the
face of Calcutta on the global landscape. Super thanks to the Kolkata Municipal
Corporation, concerned police stations and local clubs who extended their
whole-hearted cooperation for successful execution of the project so far; it
re-establishes that fact that a consorted effort leads to unbelievable results.
We sincerely hope that with a joint pledge of preserving these art-works, we
will be in a position to call it an “effort that is going to stay”, sustainable
effort so to say.
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Kolkata Street Art Festival: The wall-art near Rabindra Sadan Metro Station, such intricate details |
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Kolkata Street Art Festival: The wall-art near Rabindra Sadan Metro Station, such intricate details |
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Kolkata Street Art Festival: There are two Owls in the picture ;) |
This combined with the fact that the artists
braved unfavorable weather conditions and created an epiphany within a month’s
time ratifies that a combination of skill, intent and the right choice of
resources (application of the Berger Paints Weather coat to ward off the inherent
moisture content) can do the impossible. On a number of occasions, the wall had
to be suitably “treated” with plaster and putty before application of the
paint.
Anecdote 3: August
2017
Gariahat Tram
Depot:
As
I’m all set to strike a signature pose right beneath the “stair-case of
enlightenment”, I reckon, I am freezing a moment of a lifetime; I can show this
photograph to my grand-children saying that- “I was alive when the first
organized Street-art drive was launched in Calcutta”.
Yes
my friend, Calcutta is climbing up the stairs real fast and this initiative by
Berger Paints is likely propel the cause.
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Kolkata Street Art Festival: Posing outside Gariahat Tram Depot |
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Kolkata Street Art Festival: Wall art outside the Gariahat Tram DepotWork in progress |
My Pick of KSAF:
Having
worked with a talented bunch of artists for a couple of recent projects, I know
the kind of effort and energy it takes to create wonderful art-work on rugged
walls. Hence, the murals located at Topsia have drawn my significant attention
primarily because of the substantially low height of the “canvas”; it takes hell
of an effort to sit in that posture and execute such intricate work within a
limited time period. The subject of wall-art in this area is primarily focused towards
drawing the attention of school-going children owing to the presence of a
number of educational institutes in the locality. Hence, it is safe enough to
infer that “relevance” and “congruence” are two major pillars of this
bench-marking initiative.
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Kolkata Street Art Festival: Juxtaposition, a hint of street photography while shooting at Topsia |
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Kolkata Street Art Festival: The wall-art near Topsia is quite colorful and engaging at the same time |
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Kolkata Street Art Festival: The wall-art near Topsia is quite colorful and engaging at the same time |
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Kolkata Street Art Festival: The wall-art near Topsia is quite colorful and engaging at the same time |
We
hope to see more of such wall-art spread across the rest of the city in the
near future; perhaps a “graffiti smash” involving multiple city-artists to create an interesting composite wall-art is
also on the cards. :)