Mumbai-based mural artist Rouble Nagi believes in the doctrine of giving back to society. And through her Rouble Nagi Art Foundation, she does just that. Painting the huts in the slums of Mumbai is her mission. She and members of her team Missal Mumbai, clean up the space and paint the homes in bright hues, bringing a sense of civic ownership.
Like she says in the video featuring Dhobi Ghat, “Sometimes life is like a fabric. Beaten up, drenched, and faded. But like old clothes, it cannot be passed on. It has to be lived. So, let’s get those hues back. Let’s brush away the dull for brighter mornings and wider smiles. Let’s share our palettes for homes so colourful that they are visible from miles.”
According the note on her website, Rouble started teaching art and exposing children to the subject to bring out their innermost feelings and help them adjust with society.
Rouble and her team have been into this for the past eight years. They have organised art camps in slums across the city and painted more than 12,000 homes in Bandra, Cuffe Parade and Colaba. They also conduct skill development courses for local women.
Those visits have helped them understand the situation prevailing in such areas and led them to train communities on issues like hygiene. What she does is healing the community through art. For Rouble and her volunteers, the city is their canvas.
