THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Just as elections reinforce the country’s image as the world’s largest democracy, they have a human face too by providing a livelihood to many. Though wall painters and graffiti artists are always much sought after during the campaign phase, the demand has soared further following the clampdown on use of flex boards.
While the flex ban has proved a game changer, it means higher expenses for political parties as cloth banners have replaced them. The services of graffiti artists come at a price, with the daily wages per person going upto as much as Rs 1,500. Since their services are not limited to a particular area, they end up earning more than several white-collar workers.
Vijayakumar, a city-based painter who has done wall graffiti as part of election work, believes wall graffiti has retained its charm. “During the past 40 years, I have witnessed numerous elections, parties and candidates. The charm and lure of wall graffiti remain the same. However, it is rather surprising that even in the digital era people continue to resort to these time-tested methods for running poll campaign. And this indeed give us a lot of hope,” he said.
Traditionally, the work was done during night time, with a team of party members and helpers accompanying them. Now, though, it has become a daytime job where they work from morning to evening and go home with a wage.
“We need at least one more painter in the team. The calligraphy and the painting cannot be done by the same person. No matter the evolution in campaign methods, if you look at a constituency and see one candidate’s name everywhere, it conveys a different message and it can impact the voters in subconscious ways,” said Kathirasan, secretary of a party, who accompanied Vijayakumar as he does the graffiti work for their party in the state capital.