Last year, a group of citizens calling themselves ‘The Ugly Indians’ put on some basic gear, such as gloves, aprons and face masks before picking up paint brushes and transforming a garbage black spot near the ESI Hospital in Indiranagar. The spot was featured in a television documentary about the work the anonymous group of volunteers is doing in Bengaluru.
A few months later, the brick-red pop of colour that has become synonymous with the transformation of public spaces was (white) washed out. As soon as that happened, posters of public figures made an appearance on the wall that turned into a canvas for such material.
Once again, The Ugly Indians remove posters and clean the wall.
Residents noticed the change on Sunday and were quick to act. On a busy Monday morning, when the rest of the city was rushing to get down to work, some volunteers spared time and money to restore the space again.
Though much appreciation and publicity has come their way, the anonymous volunteers say maintaining the transformed space is a bigger and more difficult task than transforming it.
“The KPTCL quarters were repainted recently. We learnt that the painting contractor did not know that it was a restored space and whitewashed it. The posters followed soon after. We immediately repainted it again on Monday,” said a volunteer.
Citizen volunteers usually get permission from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahnagara Palike (BBMP) before undertaking restoration work. Civic officials usually lend a helping hand by transporting the waste that the volunteers clear. However, upkeep of the space is usually up to the citizens, who also pump in funds from their own pockets. The Indiranagar restoration, for example, cost around ₹6,000.
“Once volunteers fix it, a person is designated as caretaker for long-term maintenance. But the larger onus is on residents and shopkeepers nearby, who we usually take into confidence,” said a volunteer from Whitefield.
“If dumping of garbage resumes within a day or two, maintenance becomes difficult. There is really no way we can keep an eye on a restored spot all the time,” a volunteer pointed out.
