by Rons Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai (SP)

Mumbai, Jul 11: We have seen and heard a number of times, about those with perverted minds, who want to etch out their names permanently on national monuments during their visits, engrave the names of some girl and a boy about whom they are jealous, on the walls of the toilets, inside government buses etc. and derive a sadistic pleasure out of these acts. Damaging some one’s reputation in addition to defacing the walls or spots on which the graffiti appears, seem to instill a sense of cruel satisfaction to these distorted minds.

A few urbane, educated locals have been turning the walls, building gates and the neighbouring walls of Sophia College in the city ugly, with their graffiti of lewd, shocking, nasty and sometimes frivolous messages. Armed with a spray can, they have been going about their task with such ferocity and efficiency, that perhaps, is not shown in getting educated. The graffiti gives a clue that the authors are urbane and educated, without however, an aesthetic sense and civic sense.

BJP MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha, supported by his party activists, carried out the work of cleaning and repainting the walls bearing the obscene graffiti. Lodha said this campaign against the anti-social elements will continue. The first phase of the campaign, taken up by Lodha, aimed at saving the girls the embarrassment of having to read or go by the lewd graffiti, turned out to be a huge success.

The sick minds of the mischievous, anti-social elements and the fact that they have been able to go scot free seem to have encouraged them to write shocking, nasty and lewd messages on the walls of Sophia College, imposing on the girls of the college, the ignominy and humiliation of having to pass through them. Not only had the girls been forced to hang their heads in shame, even the local residents were finding it hard to pass through such graffiti and still preserve the feeling that their honour and modesty remains uncompromised.

The MLA’s initiative has come as a slap on the faces of these miscreants. Such graffiti is also found in abundance in places like Malabar Hill, Walkeshwar, Peddar Road, Cumbala Hill, Nana Chowk, Tardeo, Opera House, Girgaum and Khetwadi, taking away the respect the visitors to the metro may be having, about the citizens here. Lodha has a list of all these affected areas. He wants to continue with the campaign at all the affected areas, well aware of the fact that the graffiti writers might be on the prowl to strike again. He expressed happiness that his initiative has been drawing lot of support and appreciation from the ladies and the youths alike.

Such graffiti is seen almost everywhere in our country, most evidently around colleges. The government has done its bit by trying to spread awareness about the need to keep public places as neat and clean as possible, but without the wholehearted involvement of the local people, these efforts would not be of much help. There is a need for some one to take a leadership, may be some social service organizations, to spread awareness about the need to keep our villages and cities neat and clean, besides erasing such ‘creative’ writings. The citizens, perhaps, have to come out of their mindset that anything outside their home does not belong to them. If only every one of us is alert and aware, such miscreants can be discouraged and wherever possible, be taught a lesson.