Shivajinagar is one of Bengaluru’s oldest market areas with a long history of street vending. But this is also a hugely contested space, with constant friction between authorities and hawkers over occupying sidewalks.
Maraa, a Bengaluru-based art and media collective, has been interacting with vendors, some of whom have been part of the market for over 30 to 40 years.
As part of the effort, the collective has designed a walk for Bengalureans “to explore some of the issues faced by the vendors, within the broader framework of the way in which space in the city is viewed”. After a successful walk last week with 24 participants, there is another this Sunday too.
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The walk “highlights hidden violence, records daily evictions and foregrounds the struggle for space,” says Angarika Guha of Maraa. Titled ‘Look after your belongings — sidewalk stories’, the walk persuades people to dig deep to understand the complexity of evictions at the cost of livelihood in a growing metropolis.
Earlier, as part of its effort to understand the city from the perspective of its ‘invisible’ citizens, Maraa had designed a walk to make Bengalureans understand the plight of garbage collectors.
The walk in Shivajinagar on Sunday is between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. and begins near Bowring Hospital. To register, call 9880159484 or 9880755875.
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