One of the oldest markets in New Delhi area, Shankar Market, is set to get a colour splash this weekend. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) in association with Delhi Street Art (DSA) is set to revive the old bazaar by painting about the evolution of lutyens’ Zone on its walls.
The historical market which was built a few years before India attained independence will undergo the paint brush on Saturday. With this, the civic agency aims to familiarise the age-old market to the young shoppers and visitors who have probably often passed through it but rarely stopped to look.
“The June 14 event will be unique as it will target the revival of one of the oldest markets in our area. Many people do not even know if the market exists and several others pass through the area without noticing it. Through this initiative, we want to turn the market into an attractive hangout,” said OP Mishra, Director (Projects), NDMC. The civic agency had earlier associated with DSA in which it transformed all the garbage cans of lodi Gardens into public art canvases. “Our success of working together with Delhi Street Art in transforming all the garbage cans of lodi Gardens has given us impetus to do more public art initiatives together in the future,” he added.
The civic agency and the DSA have asked for public participation inviting artists to be a part of the event. According to Yogesh Saini, founder Delhi Street Art, “We want to encourage citizens to keep their public spaces clean, while appreciating the art. Now we feel excited to do our small bit towards restoring old city landmarks.”
While the painting frenzy is set to take off at 9 am on Saturday, the civic agency has also organised a musical extravaganza in the evening on the same day. “Artists who sign up for the Shankar Market event will be provided all paint materials and supplies along with snacks and plenty of hydration to beat the peak summer heat of Delhi. At 5 pm musical group Anantara led by Kalyaani will be entertaining the artists and visitors with live music at the venue,” said an NDMC official.
Recently, the DSA transformed the 1-km long boundary wall and the children’s train at National Bal Bhavan into a virtual outdoor art museum. “Just a few days back, we took the street art culture to Ahmedabad to create attractive murals on a newly built flyover at a very busy intersection. That experience taught us among other things to stay focussed, cool and patient despite the heat, traffic and other logistical challenges,” added Saini.