St+art India Foundation has painted more than 400 walls across India with huge murals. Some of them are nestled into art districts that attract people from near and far. It has changed the way we – and the residents of those areas – view some of the shabbiest parts of our cities
Living in Kannagi Nagar is tough. This neatly-laid-out southern suburb in Chennai held immense promise when slum dwellers from all over the city were resettled here through the 2000s. It was the biggest slum resettlement scheme in India.
Today, the 1.25 lakh people who live here in 37,149 rundown 250-sq-ft houses face despondence. Getting a job is almost impossible once the employer knows you are from Kannagi Nagar, because more than 150 listed criminals live here and everyone gets tarred by the same broad brush. The area gets flooded with the city’s wastewater. And commuting to work costs a bunch. As a result, some residents are poorer now than a decade ago.
Today, the 1.25 lakh people who live here in 37,149 rundown 250-sq-ft houses face despondence. Getting a job is almost impossible once the employer knows you are from Kannagi Nagar, because more than 150 listed criminals live here and everyone gets tarred by the same broad brush. The area gets flooded with the city’s wastewater. And commuting to work costs a bunch. As a result, some residents are poorer now than a decade ago.