Delhi artists turn Prayagraj into art gallery for Kumbh

The recently rechristened city of Prayagraj looks like a different city altogether, thanks to the colourful graffiti and murals that have been painted everywhere to celebrate the ongoing Kumbh Mela. Nearly three lakh sqft of the city’s walls has been covered with graffiti that tell the story of the holy city. Among those who were given the task of converting Prayagraj’s walls into art pieces there were Delhi-based artists as well – members of the group Delhi Street Art.From Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s giant portrait reminding visitors of Bachchans’ connection with the city to Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s motivating poem Haar Nahi Manunga, the Delhi group has made many murals to bring alive the old walls of the city.
A mural of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and an excerpt from one of his poems on a wall in Prayagraj
Yogesh Saini, founder of Delhi Street Art, along with other artists from Delhi and other countries, have been working on these art pieces from last October. While most of the pieces either narrate mythological stories, or are murals of saints and places of pilgrimage like Banaras, Rishikesh and Haridwar, some government buildings have also been painted to look like temples.
“The Kumbh Mela organisation committee had asked us to make murals keeping Kumbh and mythology in mind. For instance, the Civil Lines flyover shows the route of the Ganges, at another location, we have painted samudra manthan. We have painted on walls across Prayagraj,” Saini says, adding, “We’ve also painted a portrait of poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Later, we got to know that Amitabh Bachchan had laid the foundation of the building where we made that portrait. We have also painted Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s portrait on one wall, with a few lines from one of his poems. The response has been great, and we are staying in the city for a few more days to create more artwork.”

The paintings are popular not only among visitors, but also among the locals, who are happy that their city will look beautiful even after the mela is over. P Chandra, who works in a government office, says, “From the railway station to the route to the main venue of the Kumbh Mela, the paintings have transformed the entire look of the city. Even after the Kumbh Mela is over, the city will continue to look bright. We have seen similar artwork in metro cities, but now our city also looks like an art gallery.” Chirag Joshi, a college student from the city, says, “These murals have become so popular that visitors now recognise different places in the city by the artwork they have.”
A wall painting of Harivansh Rai Bachchan

A mural of Sardar Patel on a water tank