Finding Myself In The Maximum City

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I first found out about the ‘Hamara Station Hamari Shaan’ initiative from a Condé Nast Traveler article mentioned in the Leo Burnett “What In The World?” newsletter. Led by Mumbai First and Making a Difference Foundation, (M.A.D for short, a non for profit think tank aiming to make Mumbai a better place to live) the plan was to paint 36 train stations across the Central and Western railway lines in Mumbai, India. I thought it sounded like a really cool and exciting project to be a part of. I love to travel and have been to many countries, but never India, so this initiative was a perfect excuse to go. I spoke with multiple people about joining me, but when all of the plans fell through I decided to just go on my own.

img_0825Prior to the starting date, volunteers could either adopt a station as a group, or sign up as individuals. All of the artwork had to be designed, submitted, an approved by the top committee on the project. I worked at the Marine Lines Station, mainly alongside an architecture student, a graphic designer, and a VFX artist.  They designed the main mural for the station and chose the theme “Marine” because it conjured up images of the sea and celebrated the Koli people. Koli is a native word for fishermen and they were the original inhabitants who lived in the marshy land of Southern Mumbai before it became more developed and modernized. The mural captures the likeness of a Koli girl with long flowing hair that transitions into looping waves with jumping fish. The water cascades all the way down the stairwell and finally morphs into a school of fish circling the station entrance.

img_0805To coincide with the week-long Daan Utsav, the Festival of Giving, we commenced painting the stations on October 2 and completed them on October 8, 2016. For the most part, the work started late at night, only after rush hour crowds dwindled around 9pm. On Friday and Saturday nights, I painted from 9pm to 1am the following morning. Some of the others were so dedicated, they stayed until 6am, barely slept, went to their day jobs, and returned to the station to do it all over again each day for the entire week. I could only participate the last three days, but feel grateful to have had the opportunity to join in Mumbai’s vibrant culture and make new friends.

What struck me most was the level of dedicated commitment and loving energy that many people put into this project, given that it was purely volunteer-based and entailed no monetary motivation. Everyone I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to truly felt compelled to give back to Mumbai solely because they cared about their city and wanted to make it a more beautiful place for everyone living there. While we were painting, many commuters would stop to inquire about the project. Some wanted to help out, and others just wanted to thank us. The sense of appreciation from the general public and the organizers of the initiative was incredible. I definitely left feeling inspired with the notion that one person’s dream, in this case transforming the mundane into the extraordinary to improve daily life for the masses, can spark a movement. Over the course of the week, around 20,000 people helped to paint 37 stations for the 10 million commuters who use the trains everyday. This project has already inspired other cities in India to reach out and follow suit in their own hometowns. The spark continues!

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