Ugly posters, rain ruin city wall paintings

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When former mayor M. Subramanian commissioned the delightful wall paintings to add colour and character to the cityscape, he announced that the civic body was taking great pains to beautify Chennai.

What the DMK, the self-proclaimed guardians of Tamil art and culture, failed to tell us was that these paintings would soon be defaced with ugly posters by their own party members and the colours would fade with every subsequent shower.

At the cost of around Rs 35 per square foot, more than two lakh square feet of walls were covered with murals after the corporation banned the sticking of posters in 2009.

The walls of government-owned buildings were painstakingly painted with scenes from rural Tamil Nadu, historic events, Dravidian art forms and temple architecture and other Tamil landmarks to give the city dweller a glimpse of Tamil ethos.

However, the minions of every political party in the state continue to plaster posters and pamphlets on the murals.

“These paintings were really a feast for the eyes and livened up our long travel to office every day. They encourage an artistic mindset among Chennaiites. It is sad to see them being ruined,” said Karthik Kumar, an IT professional, adding that it was about time that the enlightened people of Chennai speak out against this vandalism.

An artist whose paintings were recently defaced in Royapuram, M. Anbu. said, “I spent months designing and planning my wall-art. It is extremely painful to see it carelessly covered in cheap political campaign posters. I urge the public to show some respect for a person’s hard work, if not for their own art and culture.”

Meanwhile, the murals spared by the vandals, like those on the walls bordering YMCA Nandanam, seem to be growing lighter.

The substandard paint and cheap medium used are getting bleached by the sun and washed out by the rain.

Chennai Mayor Saidai S. Duraiswamy said, “We will take action against those who deface the paintings and also punish those who erect illegal hoardings. I will ask my officers to look out for such violations.”

The city roads are also set to be spruced up as part of the ezhil migu Chennai beautification project, disclosed Ripon building sources.