Mer'made' in ooru potholes

It is pretty interesting what people do to make a point? Sometimes, it does take a little fantasy play to really show the world what you mean. Bengaluru’s road and traffic situation have become fodder for online trolls given its abysmal condition. This is common knowledge for citizens, but often times, we stand with hands behind our back, not knowing what to do.

Prominent city artist Baadal Nanjundaswamy’s recent take on potholes has become a viral hit this time. In collaboration with actress Sonu Gowda, they created an illusion of a mermaid emerging out of huge pothole near Cubbon Park area, showing us that there really is so much more that one can do. We speak to the performance artists at length about creating the necessary impact.

Baadal Nanjundaswamy, a city-based artist says, “Highlighting the pothole issue was my only intention. Everyday people get hurt due to the plight of the roads but it does not become news unless someone loses their life. I wasn’t expecting such a reaction from this event, as long as the necessary effort is made to fix it. Everyone is aware of the situation in Bengaluru and this performance art caught everyone’s attention. Only the impact it creates is important.”

Sonu and Baadal were friends and Sonu was deeply vested in making a difference as well. So when Baadal suggested the idea to her, she was onboard. She adds, “This was crucial because people are hurt and affected by this. This was a unique way of creating awareness and voicing a protest. The government had to be alerted. When we were working, we didn’t expect it to go viral to this extent. Our only intention was to bring the authority’s attention to the situation at hand, and subsequent action was taken to cover the pothole, which is great! We have also had requests from people to come and do our work again at other spots in the city that prove to be dangerous.”

As citizens, Baadal and Sonu have shown us an innovative way to register a protest which is what makes the difference as Anil Shetty, an author and politician says, “I think it’s very important that we highlight the issue. Baadal is a friend and has always used his art to make his point. It’s also important to understand that many a times, humour is important to send across a message. The old way of shouting slogans is not very appealing. The new idea was of registering a protest in a creative manner. As an artist, he made it the best way possible to raise awareness as that is what is important right now, since the pothole issue is common knowledge. This is the time for us to stand up and offer our services to the cause like he has shown with his art.”