Street Art in Delhi Lodi Gardens

Lately the Lodi Gardens in Delhi has witnessed an outpouring of artistic creativity on some most unlikely objects - trash cans! A walk through the park brought me face to face with a myriad set of patterns, colors and moods expressed by different artists from across the city and other world locations. The mundane green fiberglass cans have suddenly turned into virtual canvases and whenever an artists is applying a finishing stroke, visitors stop by and ask for permission to take pictures. Delhi Street Art launched this initiative a few weeks back with a handful of artists and this rapidly grew into a mini "art revolution" with nearly 40 others joining in! 

Street Art

Delhi is not exactly the city that comes to mind when I think of Bohemian lifestyle and freely flowing creative juices. Its hard to spot a street musician or a subway entertainer in this town and surely the typical city walls are also bereft of any expressive artistic strokes. Historically being both the political capital and the bureaucratic citadel, Delhi has frowned upon most things unconventional and fun. But, all that is changing in some of the chic urban villages in and around Delhi and creativity is peeking through layers of dusty traditions and stuffy attitudes. Stylish cafes, designer boutiques,  hole in the wall galleries and much more are slowly but surely changing the landscape as well as the mindscape of the city. Public art is popping up in most unexpected corners and is probably here to stay. Maybe it will not be that unusual to see a sitar player in one the city's underground metro stations, one of these days ...