Footpath Bharathanatyam, available on YouTube, can upend our long-held notions about neighbourhood activism. One may begin to see what an ounce of creativity can bring to it. This video suggests that Bharatanatyam is an indispensable life skill in Malleswaram, Bengaluru. You absolutely need it to navigate the footpaths in the neighbourhood.
To illustrate, two professional dancers launch into mudras aimed at fording displaced slabs and steering around cracks and construction debris on the pavement. A band of accompanying musicians adds that extra bit of drama to the performance.
Now, the video is the work of a residents’ group from Malleswaram — known as Malleswaram Social — and the group was trying desperately to get official eyeballs to the issue of run-down and potentially dangerous footpaths.
It was part of a larger campaign called #FootpathBeku (Kannada for “I Want a Footpath”), which has also included ‘Elders Walk’ and ‘Walk to School’ with senior citizens and children respectively.
Welcome to the world of creative civic activism.
Street artist Baadal Nanjundaswamy, known for his thought-provoking artworks that draw attention to bad roads, says officials take action on civic issues represented through artworks, as such creativity usually gets highlighted in mainstream and social media.
From the musical cleanathon. Photo: Special Arrangement
Let’s Be The Change (LBTC) organises musical cleanathons, where volunteers go about a clean-up exercise to the accompaniment of music from a live band.
“The idea is a hit,” says Anirudh S. Dutt, founder, LBTC.
The music brings in more volunteers and also greater attention to the issue, he says.
“We have seen musical cleanathons register volunteer participation 10 times higher than what can be expected from a regular clean-up,” says Dutt, adding that they have done 70 such events in Bengaluru.
“In wards where people’s participation is low, and there is a need for greater volunteer involvement, we step in,” he says.
“Both our ground and social media campaign run parallel, that’s why we are able to achieve some success,” says Suchitra Deep of Malleswaram Social. She says the feedback of the first campaign has encouraged them to bring out more videos, and this has also got more residents to participate in efforts to address the civic issues around them.
These residents’ groups understand the value of taking a balanced approach to civic activism, and are not always fire and brimstone. Recently, Malleswaram Social organised an event that was in part appreciation of the efforts being taken by the civic body to improve the footpaths in Malleswaram. “It is equally important to work closely with engineers and officials; so the event was supposed to encourage them and also tell them ‘you have started and must take it forward’,” says Suchitra.
