There has been an explosion of graffiti artists in the country over last decade. Do you think it has the potential to acquire an anti-establishment stance in a country like India?

People of India are familiar with graffiti concept but the latter has never been used in the form of its original sense here. It is seen as an art movement evolving around the urban pockets of India. There has been a great explosion in the number of graffiti artists around the world. Graffiti which had originated in the US had an anti-establishment tone as it was used by blacks to present their angst against prevalent racism views. This had positioned graffiti as anti-art in contrasts to art which was seen in museums and art exhibitions or galleries. There is no doubt that the origin of graffiti depicts the certain type of vandalism made to make an assertion of identities and also seeking the attention of the masses. The Indian case is different as graffiti has taken on cultural meaning. Defacement is not new to the Indian population. In India, it is generally a form of street art which does take up some social issues. It should not be labelled as graffiti in particular which is an anti-establishment expression in many nations like the US.

Topics: GS-III: Challenges to Internal Security Through Communication Networks