City to get colourful, one wall at a time

Coimbatore: The city corporation has launched an initiative to decorate compound walls of its office buildings in an attempt to change the monotonous look and to eliminate political graffiti and posters.
The civic body has roped in Chennai-based Catalyst Street Festival to portray iconic themes and personalities. Artists have completed the maiden work on the walls of the corporation’s central zone office building. The work, which started last Saturday, was finished on Thursday.
The initiative was conceived by corporation commissioner Raja Gopal Sunkara. A list of places to be beautified by paintings has been shortlisted by the corporation. Recently, representatives of Catalyst Street Festival selected the suitable places. While many themes were discussed, those approved by the commissioner will be painted soon, corporation sources said.
The civic body has identified 10 to 12 places for the initial phase, Sunkara said. “We want to bring more about Coimbatore's heritage and culture. Apart from walls, we are planning to cover places alongside arterial roads. We are trying to tie-up with resident welfare associations to do more work,” he told TOI.
Founder of Catalyst Street Festival K Phanikumar said a theme depicting the lifestyle of ancient Tamils was chosen for the first work. “Artists involved in the work are from the city. Many of the walls have posters. However, the one where we completed the work did not have any,” he said. “We are going slowly, concentrating one at a time as cleaning the wall and making it ready for painting is a time-consuming process. If the work is carried out hastily, it would not last.”
The organization has worked in similar projects in cities such as Chennai and Bengaluru, Phanikumar said.
The civic body will soon rope in more people to make walls lively, an official said. “We aim to not only make the places attractive, but also informative. A private school has taken up the Kalloori Nagar Park at Peelamedu to paint freedom fighters. The children, who visit the park, will get used to our leaders.”
Coimbatore collector G S Sameeran took to Twitter to congratulate the civic body for the initiative.