Driven by the vision of a clean city

Eye-catching:Volunteers painted the wall of a flyover connecting GST Road and Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road —Photo: M. Karunakaran

For some people in the city, Sundays are not just holidays. Rather, they provide some time for solid community activity by cleaning and painting the walls of flyovers, bus stands, and other public utilities.

More than fifty volunteers from four groups transformed the wall of a flyover connecting GST Road and Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road on Sunday.

When these youngsters began clearing the area in preparation to painting the wall, onlookers were puzzled and even a bit amused. Soon, the result was there for all to see, and it was astounding.

These youngsters come back week after week to continue from where they left off and the size of the group keeps growing. What they painted were simple geometric patterns that nonetheless are a relief to the eye and also, a deterrent to people using the space as a public toilet.

These youngsters are part of various groups such as Chitlapakkam Rising, The Paint Box, Ilaya Thalaimurai and Crew for You, and they aim to make public spaces in the city look better. They get together and communicate through Facebook and WhatsApp.

“We are no artists. In fact, some of us have not held a paint brush in years. We just get there and start painting with a few good messages for the community,” said a corporate communication professional who participated.

A volunteer of Chitlapakkam Rising, which cleaned the Pallavaram flyover and Chromepet bus stand recently, said, “It took 12 of us to clean the flyover. It was hard work, but we enjoyed it. We only hope people respect cleanliness, and don’t spread filth again.” Another youngster said the group was identifying other ‘hotspots of garbage’ in the city.  

“Our Facebook group has over 1,400 members. Most of them are students and techies. We plan to take turns to clean up places in the city. We do not need any official permission as we believe that if people can spread filth, they can also clean it. So far, no one has questioned us,” said another group member, who added that they need more young minds joining their endeavour.