Magnificent India
Some of Delhi-NCR’s best street art
We head out onto Delhi-NCR’s streets in the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios Turbo to take a moment to appreciate and share some of the best street art that dots its metropolitan landscape
Ask yourself this – how often have you walked or driven past a restaurant without giving it a try only to realise what you’d been missing out on when you eventually actually did? Or scrolled past a TV show or movie finding the thumbnail too meh to give it shot or kept putting it off for later, but having watched it wondered where it had been all your life? Or treated a store, a person or any other experience the same way? Well, chances are most of you will at this point be nodding affirmatively. The street art strewn across Delhi-NCR’s landscape tells a similar story – creations many of us drive past on a regular basis but rarely or maybe never taking time out to slow down and appreciate them.
With that idea in mind for this installment of the Magnificent India series with Hyundai, with the lockdown triggered by the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic restricting movement, we figured we’ll finally head out on the streets we’ve been frequenting for years in search of the finest examples of street art we could treat our eyes to.
Back in the day, walls lining busy streets would often be used as advertising spaces, but with modernday billboards now the norm, these walls have transformed into a canvas for artists to express, captivate and impress onlookers with their craft. Street art itself is one of the more contemporary art forms tracing its origins as far back as the Kilroy Was Here graffiti from the World War II era. Largely, though, modern street art originated in New York City starting off in the 1960s before gathering steam by the 1980s. Often street art has been a means of commentary on societal issues, at times being viewed as a rebellious art form. Many an artist have gained fame on a global scale with the likes of Banksy coming to mind whose politically subversive street art has made him an icon. His work even earned him an Academy Award Nomination in 2011. While its origins may have been a bit anti-establishment, in the current day and age street art has become much more socially acceptable.
In the context of our story, murals pictured on these pages are all legally commissioned works of art with nary a brushstroke even coming close to opposing the system. Vibrant colours also help break the monotony of the otherwise dull urban landscape and these murals keep these walls from turning into notice board for local businesses as well. Street art in Delhi-NCR covers everything from metro stations to marketplaces and nondescript surfaces like the walls of an underpass or
ART HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE STREETS FOR EVERYONE TO SEE, EVERYONE TO ADMIRE
the pillars supporting the many flyovers dominating city roads. These murals range from vibrant depictions of India’s rich flora and fauna to our country’s diverse populace. Some portray their artist’s rendition of scenes from everyday life, while others draw inspiration from the endless list of centuries-old crafts including dance forms, styles of art and more. This being India, finding murals depicting scenes from Hindu mythology isn’t too hard either. Drawing inspiration from such diverse subjects, this street art scattered across Delhi-NCR, in a way, does a fine job of showcasing the magnificence of
India and the sheer depth of the country’s art, culture and history.
Our companion for this urban adventure was the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios. Not just any Nios, mind you, but the most exciting variant of the hatchback on sale; the one with the 100bhp 1.0-litre turbo petrol under the hood. Compact dimensions, oodles of power and an impressive list of features made it the ideal partner for our explo
ration of Delhi-NCR’s street art scene.
The Lodhi Art District is a name synonymous with street art in New Delhi with wall after wall of buildings in the residential area covered from top to bottom in murals varying from everyday scenes to animals to birds to the most abstract of designs. Many have been painted by artists from different parts of the world. One can easily spend hours walking Lodhi Colony’s streets admiring these creations or, since the pandemic continues to rage on, driving through the streets within the safe confines of your vehicle.
As mesmerizing as the Lodhi Art District is, for me personally, the noticeable rise in street art and murals splashed across Noida was a bit of a revelation and one that managed to arrest my attention to a greater degree. In particular, the 4.8km long Noida Bypass Flyover connecting sector 18 and sector 61 made quite an impression with each of its pillars being used as a canvas for paintings encompassing almost every defining aspect of India. In fact, it was quite a challenge
ALL THIS STREET ART STREWN ACROSS THE DELHI-NCR LANDSCAPE BRILLIANTLY MANAGES TO DEPICT INDIA’S MAGNIFICENCE THROUGH THE EYES OF ARTISTS
picking the best of the lot for the story. These are roads I’ve been frequenting for several years now but admittedly, and to reiterate the point I was trying to make with the opening lines of this story, this was the first time I actually took a moment to see and admire these works of art. This quest to stumble upon Delhi-NCR’s street art helped bring to our notice the fact that almost every flyover, every underpass in Noida is now covered in some form of art and while it might not seem all that impactful, it certainly helps add some life to the otherwise concrete jungle we live in.
As enriching as this simple drive through the National Capital Region was, we sincerely hope the situation improves, and we can, once again, roam free and bring more of India’s magnificence to light. Until such time, though, stay indoors as much as possible and if you do step outside, remember to mask up.