BENGALURU: In this world of opposites, art can become a seamless catalyst for communities – for the rich, it can indicate wealth, refinement, and an aesthetic sense. For the poor, it can lead them on a road to empowerment.
The women residing in the Marathahalli Slum Board quarters belong to the informal sector. Breaking from the confines of societal responsibility, they are building a community, empowering themselves and transcending language barriers to address issues, through the limitless medium called ‘art’.
Through this mission emerged ‘Alli Serona’, or ‘Let’s Meet There’ in Kannada. A social impact movement initiated in suburban Bengaluru, Alli Serona aims to bridge gaps and help underprivileged women find their voice in the hustle and bustle of the city. Initiated by civil society groups, creators, and think tanks, Alli Serona brings ideas of the city’s informal sector to the fore, to build a more sustainable, low-carbon and economically viable space for all.
When the Alli Serona team landed in the Marathahalli Slum Board Quarters – a housing project under the Karnataka Slum Development Board – they found people from different cultures, geographies, and languages, most of whom working in the informal sector. Being a relatively new settlement, there was no sense of community, and invisible deep-rooted rifts existed among the residents.
As part of its work, Alli Serona integrates art in its myriad forms to energise and empower people. Accordingly, in the last eight months, the women of the quarters have been involved with this collective, meeting weekly for at least two hours, where they share resources, stories and discuss issues. The highlight is art. The women draw rangolis, make patchwork quilts, and paint walls, while reflecting on their role as an informal workforce. This has brought the community closer and shifted the focus towards a common goal, enabling the women to reclaim their space.
Alli Serona Collective Creative Strategist Tanisha Arora tells The New Sunday Express, “We are using participatory art practices and culture to make their voices visible and bring them together. In certain settlements, we realised that a lot of communities have never convened before.” She adds that if they have never talked about their problems, “How can we discuss climate mitigation? So, we started exploring different routes through art.”
Impacting more than 600 women, the Alli Serona Collective has worked across nine settlements in Bengaluru. “We are building bridges for the informal workers to cross over and have a dialogue with decision-makers so that there are more inclusive decisions being made, when the city transitions to an urban economy,” Tanisha adds.
Through Art, We Unite
The collective also documents the women’s time at work and their heartwarming conversations. In a film titled ‘Together in Art’, by Falana Films, Alli Serona shows how art can be used to unite people. This led to a series of beautiful artworks and murals across this bustling slum, in partnership with the Aravani Art Project. The works celebrated the women of Marathahalli and the activities that brought them together.
The women were delighted that their lives were being acknowledged and represented on the walls. “Earlier, the walls were plain and people use to litter. Now, our area looks vibrant,” says Sofia, a resident.
“People have all sorts of things in their hearts – pain, sadness, joy, and everything in between. We make them forget all that by inviting them to paint,” says Shwetha T, one of the painters.
Why Serona?
This coming together of women with a thousand tales on an art platform, has motivated them to find solutions for day-to-day problems, while supporting one another. Addressing issues such as accessibility to public transport and the need for bus frequency and stops near their settlement, have found their way in the conversation. A resident, Chand Bi, shares her plight of travelling long distances, saying, “Going to work is fine, but coming back is tough. I have to walk to work for an hour and my feet hurt.”
Conducting interesting activities such as building a mock-up bus stop near their locality are ways how Alli Serona is creating impact. Mobility choices for the informal sector are a major focus area. The collective realised that affordable, accessible, and reliable public transport plays a significant role in facilitating an equitable transition to a low-carbon economy, and chose art as an entry point.
The community itself came up with the movement’s name, ‘Alli Serona’, a symbolic representation of a link between communities, and hopefully, decision-makers and external stakeholders in future.
Climate change and the informal sector
Informal workers are no doubt among the least polluting, but they are among the first to feel the impact of climate change. According to Tanisha Arora, looking at where these workers usually live, any major natural factors, like floods and pollution, affect them the most. Also, they lack the funds to invest in healthcare, sanitation, and guarding against drastic changes in temperature.