The artist who sheds no crocodile tears

In mid-June, as Bengaluru struggled with the monsoon, people on Sulthanpalya Main Road stumbled upon an extraordinary sight one morning. A nine-foot crocodile sat calmly on the street, atop what residents knew to be a pesky pothole. A painting of  Yamraj, the Hindu God of death, awaited passersby and authorities in another part of the city, gaping mouth exposing a deadly open manhole that waited to swallow unsuspecting victims whole. 36-year-old artist Baadal Nanjundaswamy puts his considerable talent for 3D art to remarkable use in Bengaluru, using it to snap lazy babus out of their lull as citizens pitch in by generating thousands of views across social media platforms. His latest effort toward the pothole war is a broken toilet in Shivajinagar - which is self explanatory, really!

 

Nanjundaswamy sidesteps the bevy of armchair activists by bringing about change creatively and with great swiftness. He shies away from being labelled an activist himself, though, as he does from most things! Despite the popularity of his street art, Nanjundaswamy stays clear of the spotlight and maintains: "I am not an activist, just an artist.”

 

The gold medallist from Mysore University, who graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts, has created a wave of both praise for finally devising a way to keep authorities on their toes. He doesn't limit himself to championing the pothole cause. His works are a satirical take on civic issues of all kinds, like littering, bad roads and dividers. 

 

"I am extremely glad that the government has taken immediate action.  The main objective, however, behind doing this, is to spread hope among people." When a manhole, broken divider or dangerous pothole catches his eye, he returns to it late that night, painting supplies in tow. "I visit the spot at around 2 am, complete what I had in mind, take some photographs and post them on the Facebook pages of the Bangalore Traffic Police. It's quite simple, really!"