Sakshi Lakhotia
JWB Intern
JWB Blogger Paints On Dead Trees To Bring Them To Life
- JWB Post
- June 29, 2016
Ironically, my friends from outside Rajasthan appreciate Jaipur much more than I do. In fact, when I introduce myself to them it’s all about, ‘Chokhi Dhani’ and ‘Amer Fort,’ and the Camels. They think that I commute on Camels. Like, seriously? WHAT?
I think they can add another area Jaipur has its expertise in. A group of 30 people instigated the start of ‘Rang De’, an organisation with the motive of making our city, Jaipur, colourful and attractive once again, not just aesthetically but also environmentally. One team member said, “Something similar to this campaign was happening in Mumbai, too. That’s how we got our inspiration and the idea“.
The campaign inspires painting on dead trees in the city. Someone at the event believed that the trees could come alive! Likewise, this does make for a viable question. How do we know whether the trees are dead or alive? Mrs Neeru Saluja, a member of ‘Rang De’, said, “We ask the experts to tell us whether the tree is dead or not. It’s because we don’t want to make the mistake of killing a living tree. That would be against our mission.”
While the foundation, ‘Rang De’s’ motives are to enhance the community’s awareness on team-working, they are also striving towards reducing the death of trees. “It all comes back to polluting our atmosphere,” said the Rang De member. It’s true, you know. Our busy lives don’t allow us to recognise the importance of saving the environment. There are such generous people working for the environment. But that’s just not enough. It requires communities to simply join hands and work.
One member recalls that when they were painted their first tree, everybody only was staring at them and didn’t wish to be a part of it. She added, “We offered them to join us, but they said this wasn’t something they wanted to do.”
Also, Rang De has JDA’s (Jaipur Development Authority) permission for painting the dead trees in public places. However, the government does not invest in this venture. A few members were distraught because of this, but that didn’t demotivate them from working to achieve their goal of promoting togetherness.
Shan Bhatnagar and Benu Bhatnagar were the artists, who chose the ‘Leheriya’ colour scheme for the trees. As Leheriya represents one of the famous things sold in Jaipur, the team members believed it to be the perfect combination of colours. Mrs Saluja said, “Don’t be tacky but be in coordination with the ethos.”
She also added, “This country has such a rich artistic heritage, and yet we move like blind people through its alleys not noticing the dirt and the decay. We need to take responsibility and ownership for this and work with the government”.
If you wish to express your artistic abilities along with making your community better, follow Rang De for updates on any upcoming events!
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