Delhi's Shankar Market gets street art makeover

One of the oldest markets in central Delhi, Shankar market gradually lost its charm as the limelight focused on Connaught Place. Now, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Street Art (DSA), an initiative that promotes public art of young artists in Delhi, have joined hands with an intention to revive the market to make it more attractive to a younger crowd.

Forty five Delhi-based artists will transform the market with murals on every wall where each wall be painted with a color of the rainbow.

O.P.Mishra, Director Project, NDMC, told ANI, "It all started last year when we came up with the idea of painting dustbins of Lodhi Gardens. We are just not presenting the street art in Shankar market, we also want the street art to be aesthetically correct. Street art has to be contemporary and appealing to the eyes as well."

"The artist will have all the freedom on their part, but the design has to be approved by me as I don't want black art to be promoted. Street art is very sensitive," added Mishra.

The main motive behind the re-modelling of the market is to increase footfall and promote the market. Students from different colleges have also actively volunteered for the creative project.

Ramesh Handa, President of New Central Traders Association of Shankar Market said, "The street art theme is a brilliant and exceptional idea and we discussed the entire idea with NDMC. The street art theme for the market will be beneficial for the shopkeepers as it will help to allure more customers."

The theme for the Shankar Market's makeover is VIBGYOR where seven walls will be painted with each color of the rainbow that will depict different messages to the masses and the project is expected to wrap in one month.

Giving his views on street art, Harshvardan Kadam, a prominent street artist from Pune said, "Street art is one of these interventions which rub emotional, spiritual, psychological sides of the seers. Mainly because of the visual impact, messages, meanings, and scale, street art is slowly becoming a voice of revolution and a renaissance of its own kind."

This is not the first time where street art is being used as a means to promote the market, as Shahpur Jat in South Delhi witnessed a two-month long street art festival in January 2014 that hosted a collection of international and local artists.

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