St+art and Asian Paints are delighted to announce the completion of their latest project in Mumbai which pays tribute to the city’s frontline workers through a series of murals at the iconic Mahim Junction.
Asian Paints & St+art India salute frontline workers with murals at Mahim
Over the past few months, COVID-19 has radically altered the world as we knew it. It has also highlighted the immense role of essential service providers in a time of crisis. Located on an expansive facade of the Mahim railway station, the murals celebrate the ‘Heroes of Mumbai‘ – who have braved adversity and put their own lives at risk to make sure that we are safe. The elements of the murals depict doctors, nurses, vegetable sellers, delivery persons and sanitation workers who have worked tirelessly to keep the country ticking.
Mumbai Heroes project by Asian Paints & St+art India at Mahim Junction Station
St+art India Foundation (pronounced ‘start’) says, “The ‘Heroes of Mumbai‘ project is an extension of the ‘Art Stations‘ project which converts high-footfall transit spaces into walk-through art galleries, enlivening public spaces with art while creating room for critical dialogue. Lying on the Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network, Mahim Junction handles a footfall of close to 2 lakh people on a daily basis.”
The murals have been designed by Gujarat-based street artist Do and brought to life by maestro Munir Bukhari over the course of 15 days. Set against a colourful background, Do’s monochromatic subjects stand out while everyone is shown engrossed in their respective job.
Amit Syngle, MD and CEO, Asian Paints Limited says, “We are delighted to partner with St+art once again on this special project to honour those on the frontline in this battle against COVID-19. The ‘Heroes of Mumbai‘ project at Mahim junction, is our way to thank the exceptional individuals who have put themselves at great risk in order to protect and serve others during these turbulent times. Aside from serving as a reminder of their contribution in the fight against this pandemic, the murals also aim to brighten up public spaces like Mahim junction with art and social commentary. This is an extension of our mission to create socially relevant public art projects across the country.”
Ravinder Bhakar, Chief Public Relations Officer, Western Railways says, “The Heroes of Mumbai” Project at Mahim Station not only enhances the beautification of the station but also is an unique way of expressing solidarity & gratitude to COVID-19 warriors. We are again proud to associate with Asian Paints & NGO St+art India for this marvelous artwork under the CSR initiatives & look forward to many more such beautification drives across various suburban stations of Western Railway.”
About St+art India Foundation
St+art India Foundation is a not-for-profit that works on art projects in public spaces. Its aim is to make art accessible to a wider audience by taking it out of the conventional gallery space and embedding it within the cities we live in. Since 2014, with the constant support of Asian Paints, St+art has realised Urban Art projects across 11 urban cities by bringing together multiple voices such as several government bodies, cultural institutions and national and international artists. These projects activate otherwise neglected spaces through arts and culture, thus enabling the citizens to reimagine how public spaces can be utilised.
With this vision, St+art has so far established 6 districts in the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Goa and Coimbatore. Each representing the contemporary face of India, these districts are quickly becoming an important part of Indias Smart Cities Mission. Within its framework, the foundation also provides a platform for education and social awareness through a range of curated workshops and tours.
About Asian Paints
Since its foundation in 1942, Asian Paints has come a long way to become India’s leading and Asia’s fourth largest paint company, with a turnover of Rs. 170.85 billion. Asian Paints operates in 19 countries and has 26 paint manufacturing facilities in the world, servicing consumers in over 65 countries. Asian Paints has always been a leader in the paint industry, pushing new concepts in India like Colour Ideas, Home Solutions, Colour Next, Kids World and now with Viroprotek which is a new range of sanitizer and disinfectant sprays.
About Western Railway
The Western Railway is one of the 18 zones of Indian Railways, and is among the busiest railway networks in India serving the entire Gujarat, part of Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Western Railways started operations on 5 November 1951 and comprises six divisions namely – Mumbai, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Ratlam, Rajkot and Bhavnagar. The suburban section of Western Railway in Mumbai extends from Churchgate, the citys business centre to Virar and further to Dahanu Road covering 37 stations. Western Railway carries more than 3.5 million suburban passengers per day in Mumbai and also has the credit of running Indias first Air-Conditioned suburban train.