Make some noise for the gully gals and boys

A group of youngsters painting a lane off Worli Sea Face a stones throw from the iconic Sportsfield building are coming to the end of their task They started painting this gully sandwiched between Priya building and Sagar Darshan building facing the seafront on November 7 A fortnight later the transformation is nearing its endMany of these 24 youngsters ranging from teenagers to the oldest Arvind Swamy who is 23 hail from the Worli area Most of us are from Worlis Adarsh Nagar and MIG Colony said Swamy while guiding artists on how to go about the workThe gully which opens to the Seaface on one end and Hotel Hilltop Worli at the other gets a faceliftSaid Swamy We are familiar with this lane and saw an opportunity to mix community with creativity The gully was cleaned up with the help of civic authorities there was a lot of dirt and stubborn overgrown foliage at the mouth of the laneAlso ReadCOVID19 Mumbais antimask stir to reach Delhi in a weekThe labour of love has been divided into different sections Some parts of the wall have a theme behind the painting and given the times we are going though the pandemic message about living with nature and safety dominated one part Said Shraddha Khandare 17 who is from Girgaon My father used to bike down this lane so he was aware of its condition before the work Pranriyad P 17 said it was the first time I am involved in a project I have learnt a lot and it has been such an experience in awareness about public infrastructureLocal supportThe wall artists were supported by Worli residents As we paint through the day locals send water and refreshments they enthusedSwamy added The vibe has been wonderful though there were some who asked us why are you painting this Of what use is this The wall will become dirty againA Worli Seaface jogger Sandeep S who used this lane which is a shortcut to get on to Pochkhanawala Road and the police camp housing stopped by and said I take this route at times this is good work It relaxes the mind Manjusha Rao from the building next to the gully said It feels good to see these young artists transform a public space Everybody should encourage themGlobal voiceSome Japanese influence was seen on one part of the wall There was a Samurai warrior and the Japanese symbol of balance mdash the yin and yang Satwick Gurram 16 and Sumit Sunchu 17 said We have been inspired by animation too While Atharva Koyale and Sahil Gollar pointed to the before and after the complete facelift of the lane thanks to the paintingSelfdiscoveryThe wall has a number of short poles with checkerboardstyle design Spanish designs Moroccan designs Warli art and red candystriped painting The global theme is also reinforced by the painting of an Octopus that holds the world in its hands symbolic of COVID19 that has gripped the world explained Omkar Mahadik For Sharvari Koyale this is as much about painting as a journey of selfdiscovery I am an introvert I have made friends and learnt to come out of my shell to some extent through this initiative she said The painting will be finished today and we are sure that some of Indias biggest cricketing stars in the neighbouring Sportsfield building will say about this cheery makeover no slips and one gullyKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news