Mumbai artist paints slums in Pune to change society’s mindset towards them

Pune, March 11: It's always pleasing to see the world from an artist's perspective. And Mumbai-based artist Rouble Nag has reiterated it. Her NGO Rouble Nagi Art Foundation is painting the slums of Pune in bright colours under the 'Misaal Mumbai' initiative to change people's perception, a report in ANI said.

"I want to connect to these people through arts. The main aim is not to colour the walls but bring a change in their mindset," Nagi was quoted as saying by the news agency.

ANI also quoted her as saying: "When I paint 20 walls here, 200 people come & stand with me. If I go to their home as a social activist & try to help, they'll have that speculation that who is she. So we start with colouring, they come out of their homes, & that's when we tell them what we want to do."

Nagi said the aim of the initiative was to change people's mindsets towards slums and also to connect with slum dwellers who are generally viewed in negative light.

The Twitterati was impressed with Nagi's work and praised her. Here are some reactions:

The 'Misaal Mumbai' scheme also tries to make living conditions hygienic for the slum dwellers, make their houses waterproof and bring an overall improvement in sanitation.