NEW DELHI: Giving street art a new twist, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation organised the ‘Ajmal Khan Road Street Art Festival’ at the recently-pedestrianised Karol Bagh market. The festival, which began around 6.30 in the morning and ended at 1 pm, saw enthusiastic participation by students from secondary schools and colleges. According to the North MCD, more than 800 students attended the street art festival.
“We already have murals and wall paintings across the city. Lodhi Road is famous for such street art, but we thought of giving it a twist and decorating the road. This is the festive season, and a lot of people, including foreigners, have been coming to the market. Such work will further enhance the beauty of Karol Bagh,” said Akriti Sagar, Deputy Commissioner, Karol Bagh area, North MCD. The participants were given the basic outline of the paintings by the civic body, based on which they showed their creativity with design and colours. A 1.3-kilometre-long stretch of the road was painted as part of the festival.
“We chose this market because it was already pedestrianised and we wanted to add something more vibrant. Among all these paintings, the good ones will be kept permanently. However, all the paintings will be there for some time now so that people can come and see the work of these students,” Sagar said.
Among the painters was Akriti Sehgal, a Class 9 student from DAV Public School. “When the event was announced, I immediately said I wanted to be a part of this programme. I do paintings, but this is something totally different and I wanted to experience how roads can be painted. This was the largest canvas for me to date,” said Akriti.