Occupation: Painting signs
It was during a college election in 1981 that I first began painting slogans on roadside walls as part of campaigning for a candidate. From then on, I have always been in demand. Today, I was in Kalady when you called me on the phone. It is always hectic during the run-up to an election. But I only work for the political party I support and not for all and sundry.
Local leaders let me know where to go next and they would have made arrangements there. It is hard work in the height of summer. Some walls have to be cleaned of moss, dust and dirt, even before we apply a first coat of paint. But I see my work as part of a greater cause and so I have no issues about cleaning dirty walls or working for hours altogether.
Roadside walls are ‘booked’ days ahead in preparation for the election and now the owner’s consent is taken before we ‘book’ the wall. Before we begin painting in the name of the candidate, his election symbol and so on, the walls are given two or three coating of paint.
Materials used have changed a great deal over the years. Two decades ago, all that we had was lime, blue, saffron and red. Then fluorescent paints appeared on the scene and now there is a huge variety to choose from. The paint is mixed with a bonding agent. If it was ‘vajra pasha’ in the eighties, now we use readymade bonding agents that are readily available in the market.
How I began working in this field is a long story. I was good in drawing and painting and was a prize winner in many competitions during my student days in Christ Nagar English Medium School. While I was doing my class 10 my mother got transferred to Parassala and so they were forced to leave me in the care of a family friend called Shamsuddin. An artist in the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation, he had a studio, Shyam Arts, at Peroorkada. He was the one who really taught me how to paint signboards and banners professionally.
As a student in NSS College, Dhanuvachapuram, I had cousins who were politically active and so I offered to work on their behalf. They were so pleased with my work that I was always busy during my college days. Madhavan Nair, a teacher at a tutorial college there, introduced me to books and that completely changed my outlook towards life. The one book that influenced me the greatest was Nalapat’s Paavangal , the Malayalam translation of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables . I came to the city again to do my D.Pharm. By then I was moonlighting as a writer of sign boards. I was one of the few earning a good amount while still in college. That was when I was offered a job in Dubai. In those days, it was a rare opportunity. However I could not complete my studies.
In Dubai, I was exposed to the latest in printing and manufacturing of signboards. I left after five years and returned to the city. Now this is where I work and earn a living. I live with my wife, Pushpalata, and son near Killipalam.
I feel my work is relevant in ensuring that people gets familiar with the candidate’s name and political party. I have taught three youngsters to do the same work. It is true that television and other campaign material do have an advantage but even now in rural areas, painting on walls and banners are the easiest way to catch the attention of the people. I believe that my work has a definite role in making a difference to the election campaign.
(A weekly column on men and women who Thiruvananthapuram what it is)
