PERAMBALUR: Office-goers and students walked hurriedly to the Perambalur New Bus Stand, chit-chatting, down the tattered street. All of a sudden, they fell silent, their gusto to jabber fading away. The very next moment, they ran for cover, holding their breath. The stench from the piss-stained walls was unendurable. Most feared they would faint.
The bus stand lacked basic facilities, a reason for many to treat the walls as an unofficial open loo. S Ajith, a regular visitor to the bus stand where his father ran a flower shop, refused to run away from this man-made menace. The 23-year-old youngster from MM Nagar in Perambalur did something others could never imagine.
“After completing my Bachelor of Fine Arts course at the Kumbakonam Government College of Fine Arts, I used to take up freelance work. My father runs a flower shop at the bus stand and I often go there. The walls’ stench was unbearable and no one cared to do anything about it. So, I decided to do my bit and spruce up the walls,” he tells TNIE.
When Ajith approached the municipal administration officials, they were only glad to permit him to paint the walls. After painstakingly cleaning up the area, Ajith decided to bring to life some traditional vignettes. With some help from the civic body and money from his own pockets, he wet his brushes in many a hue.
For three weeks on end, Ajith painted the once stinky walls with majestic pictures etched in Tamil Nadu’s history. Lively images of some majestic temples, Bharatanatyam artistes, rooster-fights, Boom Boom Maadu and women carrying water vessels home, now adorn the walls. Anyone who walks in there to urinate goes back with guilt.
The artist has received widespread praise for his work and wants his art to inspire the authorities to involve more artists in the maintenance works of public places. He is ready to take up similar projects elsewhere.
“The District Collector is yet to inspect the paintings. I hope he allows me to paint other public walls too after seeing my work. The municipality should also make an effort to keep these places clean. The Perambalur New Bus Stand walls now look clean and alluring,”he explains.
But that it doesn’t mean it will stay that way forever. Upkeep work and conservation efforts should be taken up at regular intervals, the artist had cautioned.