If spray paint can be considered a weapon of choice, then Hyderabad is currently a mini war zone. Wall graffiti, which one thought died a quiet death post-elections, has reared its “colourful” head once again in the city, but this time with a vulgar twist. From smileys, doodles and messages that read “King Doof” and “Dial 100 for dope!” to obscene propositions like “For call girls, dial...,” the city’s landscape has been marred with inky musings overnight.
This graffiti is a brazen act of vandalism on one of the city’s busiest flyovers, say youngsters, who are amused by the antics of these nightcrawlers. “The graffiti is scrawled all over the walls on Road no 3, Banjara Hills and on the Punjagutta flyover. It’s funny that miscreants could carry about their business right under the nose of authorities,” says Madhulika Reddy, an employee of ArcDesign, an architectural firm.
While freedom of expression is a thing to be celebrated, graffiti enthusiasts lament that this is more of an act of vandalism. Rupak Thummala, an executive with Wells Fargo, says, “These spray paintings cannot be compared to graffiti abroad, which is creative and expressive. This is amateurish and cheap.”
Sandeep M., a pilot, couldn’t agree more. “The one I saw had a message about drugs. More than street art, this is the work of attention-seeking pranksters. It’s in bad taste.”
Youngsters claim these obscene doodles have become an eye sore on city roads. Faraz Ahmed, senior consultant with BJETS says, “The message that reads ‘call girls for Rs 5’ is the last thing one would want to see painted on a wall. This is ruining the image of the Hyderabad. What’s worse is that no action has been taken by the authorities.
The GHMC officials, however are clueless about this new development. When contacted, Panduranga Rao, engineer-in-chief, says, “I have referred the case to the superintendent engineer and he will conduct the preliminary inspection, following which we will take appropriate action.”
