Make some noise for the gully gals and boys

A wall comes alive, with an artistic touch. Pics/Ashish Raje

A group of youngsters painting a lane off Worli Sea Face, a stone's throw from the iconic Sportsfield building, are coming to the end of their task. They started painting this gully sandwiched between Priya building and Sagar Darshan building facing the seafront on November 7. A fortnight later, the transformation is nearing its end.

Many of these 24 youngsters, ranging from teenagers to the oldest, Arvind Swamy who is 23, hail from the Worli area. "Most of us are from Worli's Adarsh Nagar and MIG Colony," said Swamy, while guiding artists on how to go about the work.

The gully which opens to the Seaface on one end and Hotel Hilltop Worli at the other gets a facelift

Said Swamy, "We are familiar with this lane and saw an opportunity to mix community with creativity. The gully was cleaned up with the help of civic authorities, there was a lot of dirt and stubborn, overgrown foliage at the mouth of the lane."

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The labour of love has been divided into different sections. Some parts of the wall have a theme behind the painting, and given the times we are going though the pandemic message about living with nature and safety dominated one part. Said Shraddha Khandare, 17, who is from Girgaon, "My father used to bike down this lane, so he was aware of its condition before the work." Pranriyad P, 17, said it was, "the first time I am involved in a project. I have learnt a lot and it has been such an experience in awareness about public infrastructure."

Local support

The wall artists were supported by Worli residents. "As we paint through the day, locals send water and refreshments," they enthused.'

Swamy added, "The vibe has been wonderful, though there were some who asked us 'why are you painting this?', 'Of what use is this?', 'The wall will become dirty again'."

A Worli Seaface jogger, Sandeep S, who used this lane which is a shortcut to get on to Pochkhanawala Road and the police camp housing, stopped by and said, "I take this route at times, this is good work. It relaxes the mind." Manjusha Rao from the building next to the gully said, "It feels good to see these young artists transform a public space. Everybody should encourage them."

Global voice

Some Japanese influence was seen on one part of the wall. There was a Samurai warrior and the Japanese symbol of balance - the yin and yang. Satwick Gurram, 16, and Sumit Sunchu, 17, said, "We have been inspired by animation too." While Atharva Koyale and Sahil Gollar pointed to the before and after, the complete facelift of the lane, thanks to the painting.

Self-discovery

The wall has a number of short poles with checkerboard-style design, Spanish designs, Moroccan designs, Warli art and red candy-striped painting. "The global theme is also reinforced by the painting of an Octopus that holds the world in its hands, symbolic of COVID-19 that has gripped the world," explained Omkar Mahadik. For Sharvari Koyale, this is as much about painting, as a journey of self-discovery. "I am an introvert. I have made friends and learnt to come out of my shell to some extent through this initiative," she said. The painting will be finished today and we are sure that some of India's biggest cricketing stars in the neighbouring Sportsfield building will say about this cheery makeover: 'no slips, and one gully'.

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