Paint-a-wall activists give colour to campaign for stray animals……Dipannita Saha
NEW DELHI: The capital seems to be catching up with Mumbai’s colourful spirit. With buckets of paint and brushes in their hands, this Sunday Delhiites will be out in hundreds to lend the city a new character. Following in the steps of their counterparts in the Maximum City, a group of young men and women in Delhi has taken upon itself to paint public walls in various hues and styles. They say it’s a pity that from local advertisements and election posters to even paan stains, the walls have to put up with such disgrace. The Wall Project (TWP) Delhi aims not just to beautify a public wall, but also to create awareness about the plight of stray animals.
The one-day event kicks off early morning on Sunday at Friendicoes Animal Shelter near the Defence Colony flyover market. Kanika Seth, one of the organizers of TWP Delhi, said: “Taking inspiration from the Mumbai project we thought we should do something for the walls in Delhi too. So we decided to paint the wall at Friendicoes, which is a great NGO working for animals that are mistreated in our country. They try their best to give the animals love and food to survive. We wanted to highlight their and offer everyone a platform to help them in whatever way they can.”
Said Gautam Bharat, one of the founders of the 31-year-old NGO, said: “We thought that there was nobody to make efforts for the welfare of animals, not even the ones which were in dire need of help. That is when we founded this organization.” The MCD also came up with a similar initiative in 2008 to provide necessary help to stray animals. Friendicoes’ animal shelter has an OPD and houses more than 150 stray cows, dogs, horses and other animals. “TWP members contacted us so that they could not only raise awareness among masses for the cause of animals but also involve them in beautifying the city walls,” added Bharat.
TWP has earlier carried out many other similar projects earlier they painted the walls of two cafes in Hauz Khas Village and Uday Park near Neeti Bagh. The group plans to engage itself in beautifying every wall possible. “We started off with painting walls ourselves. Soon, onlookers got curious and many more people joined us. I’m happy that not just artists but the common people are also joining hands to make the city a better place,” said another TWP member.
The group has received tremendous support on the social networking sites and a large number of enthusiasts are expected to flock to the animal shelter to show solidarity for the cause. Tamanna Sharma, a student, said, “I came to know about this unique initiative from my friends who work for an online magazine. I am very excited. It’s wonderful that these people want to clean up the city’s dirty walls by painting them in different hues. I, along with my friends, will be out there splashing all kinds of colours on the wall.”