Shankar Market smiles again with Street Art: Reviving Connaught Place
Till 90s Connaught Place was a dream market, you moved around in circles, window-shopping and sometimes buying, drinking milk at Keventer’s, enjoying your stuffed Patties and Pastries at Wenger’s and strolling through the shaded corridors, checking the graffiti made by pan stains ( beetle leaves) on the corners. When you got tired you just lazily sat down on one of the low barriers made from pipes that were not painful for your posterior.
Alas like all good things those days came to an end. Soon CP started declining ( CP is short for Connaught Place, as the beloved marked, is known to people of my generation and before) parking was a nightmare, buses leading to CP were overcrowded with Pickpockets, every corner a pimp tried to peddle something illegal to you. CP died a hundred deaths as swanky Air-conditioned malls raised their ugly Air-Conditioned heads from Gurgaon to Ghaziabad. But malls turned out to be post monsoon mushrooms quick to sprout, good to look but also good for nothing except to spend time when you faced a power cut. As the malls slowly lost their uniqueness and freshness people of Delhi were missing the leisurely stroll in Connaught Place where you could buy a burger from D’ Pauls without burning a hole in your pocket, or you could indulge in the finest of dining depending on the money in wallet and time at hand.
Street Art Announcing From Roof Tops: I <3 DL
Delhi was longing for Connaught Place once again, so much so that to rename the market as Rajeev Chowk failed miserably, but the powers that be took the back route and compromised by naming the biggest Metro Station of the city as Rajeev Chowk. A mission to reclaim Connaught Place for Dilli-wallahs was silently started, the Delhi Metro proved to be the lifeline to the pride of Lutyens Delhi and Connaught Place that at one point was dying, slowly started showing signs of revival.
Birds of a feather together in Street Art: Peacock National Bird of India
The New Delhi Municipal Corporation continue to work towards the revival and the latest project is painting the peripheral market of CP Shankar Market by Street Artists from Delhi Street Art For Delhiites, this may be old news, but for somebody like me who is rediscovering the charms of the City of Djinns, it was pleasant shock. I was happy to see various buildings in Shankar Market attired in beautiful street art made by various artists who worked to create magic on the facades of nondescript structures to convert them into work of art.
Every Wall has a Character waiting to be discovered
Well as Michael Angelo said every block of stone has an Angel waiting to be freed, it seemed these shops in Shankar Market had their own angels, damsels, sages and rock-stars hidden in the peeling layers of plaster and peeking bricks, once the artists made these walls their canvas all of them came out singing ” I <3 DL“.
Music is a recurring theme in Street Art
Move aside big Apple Delhites also love their city and with these work of street art, Delhi is one of the few cities in the world that boast of Street Art created by citizens who take pride in their city.
Reviving Connaught Place by Street Art
The paintings through do not follow any particular theme, they do represent the Colors of India depicting day-to-day life around us. On one side you have national bird Peacock dancing to glory, on other building one finds a bunch of Sadhus acting as DJs cum Rock Stars gone wild, and in another one, a sage is listening to his headphones while a modern-day Maneka is dancing as if trying to seduce Vishwamitra out of his meditation. Well if I have to find a theme in these paintings then it has to be music. I guess music is a universal theme and continues to appear in street art all over the world and Delhi is just following the tradition. Everyday life from Delhi is well represented in the paintings besides exotica like Sadhu cum rock-stars dancing to some heavy metal can also be seen. While you see a Peacock lovingly looking from the walls, the city facing an onslaught of feral rock pigeons is telling them ” Kabutar JA JA JA ” the famous song from the super hit Bollywood movie “Maine Pyar Kiya “, that changed fortunes of Salman Khan so much that even today while he is planning for his 5oth birthday, his movies still make 50 Crores on the opening weekend.
Street Art Modern Sadhu and Apsara 🙂
Modern Sadhus: Dancing and making music
One of the paintings I loved is this one with a couple zipping on a bike with their hair flowing in the air, they have a door in front of them and it seems they are about to leap forward as if crossing a big canyon in full Bollywood style. There is Indian Tricolor behind them on the top of the building waving at them. On the other side of the canyon is a tree with lots of gifts hanging on it, but this tree is not a Christmas tree but a normal deciduous tree that has shed all its leaves just like the couple has shed their inhibitions in enjoying the motorcycle ride in the streets of Delhi.
A Couple Zips on a bike in Streets Of Delhi
But streets of Delhi are not just couple zipping on bike, close to this painting on another building is a family of 4 on ” Hamara Bajaj” in true Sunny Te Sandy De Pappa Dee Gaddi Fashion, alas Hamara Bajaj no longer makes scooters for family of 4, as that job was taken over by Maruti 800 and later by Tata Nano after Ratan Tata wanted to make sure that every desi family travels in comfort and safety.
Sunny Te Sandy De Pappa Dee Gaddi: Hamara Bajaj, now only in Street Art
Art for Peace and Art for a Purpose that is street art for you
Where is Shankar Market: Is right opposite the M Block of Connaught Place, and you can take Blue or Yellow Line of Delhi Metro, and get down at Rajeev Chowk Metro Station, don’t forget to salute the largest National Flag of India in Central Park of CP, above the Rajeev Chowk Metro Station. I love Delhi what about you? Do you love your city? How about sharing some other urban revival projects that your city has undertaken and share them here in the comments section?
All pictures in this post were clicked by my cell phone.
Other Posts in Saadi Delhi Series
- Akshardham Temple
- Nagori Halwa and Subzi a breakfast from Old Delhi
- Agrasen Ki Baoli A Haunted Stepwell in Delhi
- A Walk in Mehrauli Near Qutub Minar Delhi
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34 Responses to “Shankar Market Street Art Project – Connaught Place New Delhi”
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i was unaware of this amazing art info. thanks to share this awesome info. i want to see these all thing n will tell to my all friends
Thanks a lot Aditya….I personally love Street Art
A very colourful collection of building captured here. I am hoping to see some similar works in India shortly and I suspect a post or two will develop.
I think you will be staying very close to this place….and anyways CP will be on your must see list as it is the best market to walk in circles in India and also do some real shopping.
Such interesting street art, and I like how you’ve combined it with a beautiful sky!
Thanks Peter
Wonderful captures of the fun street art!
Such wonderfully colourful art on the houses!
Ah… CP … that shopping paradise that it once was. You rekindled old memories but also raised my curiosity to visit Delhi once again to see the street art. Pictures were amazing. Cannot believe you took them on your cell phone.
Great write up. Will read your other travel blogs soon.
Thanks Jayanthi…yes I too was very surprised at the renewed vigor of CP…do visit and share your experience….
It looks so colorful, guess I will have to go one of these days!
Yes, CP is now worth visiting and clicking some pics…again..
Wow thats so impressive.Even though I was living near CP,never saw something like this before and never knew that Delhi could be this colourful!
Thanks Ankita… CP is being reclaimed for shoppers and pedestrians and a good painting never hurt the eyes.. 🙂
This is so awesome…absolutely love this!
For once NDMC has done a fab job. Shankar Market always had a character of its own and now it looks so beautiful! Can’t wait to visit this market again.
Finally they seem to be getting something right…
Connaught Place is safe haven for shoppers and have been going there since I was a child. But not sure if I like the art work. You have lovely photographs of the place.
CP is much better now compared to a few years ago….as for art work there is much more than I have captured may be when you visit CP you will like something…
Thanks for this post Prasad,it has brought alive the old ambiance of Delhi for me.I am happy that i am following you.
This street art is new for me.I was scanning your pics for a favorite shop of mine-Ramgopal Sharma and Sons–he used to deliver newspapers and magazines to us.Those were the days !!!!
Thanks a lot Indu Jee..if you can tell me some details about the shop, I will try and click some pics for you when I am there next time…
Amazing captures, Prasad!
What wonderfully colourful buildings!
Thanks a lot LadyFi
beautiful murals.
http://calrat.blogspot.com
What a colorful post it is !! I liked every pic and the description of it. The imagination took the cake (both paintings & descriptions). 🙂
Oh Shankar mkt was so boring earlier, now I must visit it on my next trip to Delhi.
I am sure you will enjoy the art along with shopping… 🙂
There s no choice, but to like. Lovely market. I need to visit Delhi again. Added to Bucket list.
Thanks Pattu Mam…
Lovely art and well captured. Your pride is evident in your writing… happy that citizens do their bit for their city.
Thanks a lot Chaitali… proud citizens take better care of their city.. 🙂
Wow! This is really fabulous stuff. Most often than not, I don’t even notice street art. I have seen something similar on the walls of Bangalore underpasses, not quite as elegant though.
Thanks a lot Rachna, street art is always a reflection of the times…