Graffiti in South Delhi: A Street Photographer’s Perspective
Expression of art on the street of Delhi was an exciting observation for me. Join in to see what I found.
I am always fascinated by scribblings/graffiti. On the walls, on the desk, as posters and murals. Its impact on cityscapes, voices of the people, and challenges to power and rules. Back then, those markings surprised me. I didn’t know they’d become a worldwide movement.
Today, graffiti is a form of communication, a form of resistance, and even a form of identity. A few weeks ago, I decided to explore the graffiti scene in South Delhi, near where I live. I wanted to capture the contrast between the intent and the outcome. I wanted to see what are these signs, and where are they found. So, I took my camera and walked around.
I saw graffiti everywhere, not just on walls, but wherever people could see it.
Graffiti was everywhere, and it was constantly changing.
Here are some of the photographs:
On a wall near a busy road, I saw this graffiti, where traffic is constant. It’s difficult to understand what it means. This high-quality piece took time and planning. The artist likely searched for the perfect spot and waited for a quiet moment.
It’s difficult to say when Garima will read this and realize the true love she hasn’t received yet. This rare burst of expression, not by a regular graffiti artist, is driven by a powerful urge to share their message. That force is — Love. You’ve explored forts in India? If yes, then you’ve probably seen those hidden etchings and engravings, with love expressed all over it.
There’s a definite lack of sincerity in such vandalism. Check out Lodhi Road in Delhi for cool graffiti and murals with deep meaning! This sadly is not the case everywhere.
Some of these are often interesting ones, which take you back to a time that’s full of happiness and beyond worry. One such photograph is this:
From a far distance this seemed like a normal block with the school name, but as I walked towards it, I realised this has tens of small scribblings. Possibly the names of students who study here.
Makes me think about the fascination we have with our own name, our own personality. The urge to express ourselves is like a personal graffiti. We crave spaces — lines, walls, anything — to leave our mark and share our stories with the world. As kids in school, the desktops are often almost an instant canvas for such graffiti.
As an IP lawyer I also try to think more about how these artworks can be protected in the world. Section 2(c)(i) of the Copyright Act, 1957 (hereinafter referred to as the “Act”) states “ ‘artistic work’ means, — a painting, a sculpture, a drawing (including a diagram, map, chart or plan), an engraving or a photograph, whether or not any such work possesses artistic quality”. The question that arises on reading this section is whether Street Art & Graffiti can be treated as artistic work for copyright to subsist in them?
Indian courts get it — they’ve ruled that expressing ideas is important!
In Maqbool Fida Husain v. Raj Kumar Pandey [2008 CriLJ 4107] a Single Judge Bench (Sanjay Kishan Kaul, J.) of the High Court of Delhi in its judgment held in favour of democratization of art and held amongst other things, “a liberal tolerance of a different point of view causes no damage. It means only a greater self-restraint. Diversity in expression of views whether in writings, painting or visual media encourages debate. A debate should never be shut out. ‘I am right’ does not imply ‘You are wrong’. Our culture breeds tolerance- both in thought and in actions.”
However, the Copyright Act of 1957 does not have any judicial precedent that discusses whether street art and graffiti can be protected.
These are some of the graffiti that I came across. There were many more, each with its own story and meaning. Graffiti’s a cool, hidden language — the right kind can tell you a lot about a place.
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