Public Spaces: An Art Exhibition

Have you ever stopped to wonder why public facilities in our country are always filling up with paan stains, offensive graffiti, and crude drawings? What used to be clean, simple spaces like school washrooms and train walls have now become a canvas for people who show no regard for shared space. Public property is now treated as an art project only; it's not the kind of art one would like to hang in a gallery. It works instead as a disturbing piece that points out how others have come to view those public spaces as their private playgrounds, where considerations of respect and responsibility take a back seat.

Let us start by looking at the train compartments. The next time you travel by train, take a little time to look at the walls. What do you see? Red stains of paan are visible everywhere. It seems that someone decided that the walls were not really finished until they had marked them. This has become so common that it is almost expected. People keep leaving their marks, as if the trains are designed to be a rolling art exhibit of boredom and disrespect. And what do we do? We get on, too accustomed to it to question it. Maybe that is the problem when we let it slide, we normalize it.

Let's talk about the washrooms in schools and colleges. The very facility which is meant to be a safe haven for short relief is often turned into a place for crude and vulgar graffiti. Upon stepping inside the washroom, one is welcomed with endless examples of foul language and bizarre images. It's like some people think the only way to say something is to write the most outrageous thing they can come up with on a public wall. Why? Perhaps it is a misguided attempt at making a statement, or perhaps it is the thrill of breaking rules without consequence. Whatever the reason, the fact is: it is not very respectful to the space or to the people who share it.

However, what are they really trying to say with such gestures? Are they trying to make a statement? Are they trying to impress people? Or maybe just a way of keeping oneself entertained, showing indifference towards everything around them? Difficult to tell. It is, however evident that this behavior reveals something deeper when we let such neglect of public space occur, we teach people that it is permitted to act with disregard. We are saying it's permissible to destroy something which is owned by all together.

It is not merely the hassle of dealing with stained walls or offensive language. It has to do with the culture that we are creating. In letting public spaces become a dumping ground for people's impulsive acts of vandalism, we are establishing a very dangerous precedent. We are telling people that it is okay to ignore common property because there will be no consequences. But here’s the thing if we continue down this path, it’s not just the walls that will be affected; it’s the mindset of the people who believe this behavior is acceptable.

What do we do about it? How do we turn it around? Let us start caring for our public spaces, to say nothing of what others are saying. These are for everyone; they should be respected. Maybe it's the right time to think of improving them, in keeping them clean and respectful. The more we care for them, the more others will follow. It may be as straightforward as instilling the value of respect from an early age, or it might involve actively confronting and denouncing such behavior when it is observed. Nonetheless, the process of change must originate from a specific point.

In case you haven’t come across these unfortunate “works of art” yourself, I’m sharing some photos of the offensive writings that mark the washroom walls. They are indeed difficult to look at, yet they remind us of the troubling reality we face. While we may not be able to eradicate this behavior overnight, we can certainly begin a conversation about it.

I appreciate your time to read this. What's your take on the public space in our country? Can we change this mind, or are we in for a continued decline? Please share your thoughts in the comments, and feel free to get in touch with me via social media; all of the details are in my bio. Like and share this post, and subscribe to get more stories straight into your feed. Let's start a movement to respect and protect our public spaces together!