0
0
RISING STORIES
By Admin
7 March, 2019
Chal Rang De , a Color Movement that aims to transform the slums of India into art galleries
The Start:
Chal Rang De is an NGO that took its first steps in Mumbai. Our aim is to transform the city into a colourful amalgam of local stories and talent. By painting the walls of the slums with vibrant colours, they believe it can not only change everyone's outlook towards the areas but also create a positive emotion among the residents.
The idea came to the founder Dedeepya Reddy when she was travelling in the Mumbai Metro. She saw before her the beautiful but untouched landscape of the Asalpha village slums. She was reminded of the unwarranted negativity that most conversations about slums had, and she knew then that she had found a canvas to show the world otherwise.
Dedeepya Reddy Founder ChalRangDe
The project, that started in Mumbai, was born from true love for the city and they wanted to involve its people. Using the power of digital media, the campaign kick-started with 750 plus volunteers who transformed the slum of Asalpha.
It all began with that one Facebook post and with the right use of social media, we received over 2500 volunteers in less than 5 days. With an average of 750 volunteers swarming the slum, who cleaned, coloured and beautified the hills of Asalpha in bright hues of pink, yellow, red and blue. The idea was to make the outside of the slum as beautiful as it was on the inside with art that was a reflection of the people living in that area. India is one of the few countries, that was untouched by street art and now the Chal Rang De slums, outdoor galleries in their own right, are helping these artists find their way to the limelight.
The event soon became one of the most talked about initiatives of the year with National and International media picking it up organically. Conversations spread across print, web, radio and TV putting Asalpha on the world map. The transformed area is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city and a photographers haven. Slums recognised for all the infamous and wrong reasons are now highlighted in colourful and happier light, and that was just the beginning.
Chal Rang De has become more than just an initiative but a movement where colour and designs bring communities together to break stereotypes.
They made sure they had a green signal from every authoritative body, but only after we had the permission of the residents and the presiding committee in the area. We faced little to no aversion from anyone while we presented our intentions to the people in concern.
Using colour as a medium to make India, cleaner and beautiful, she has successfully instilled a sense of ownership in the citizens who have been a part of the campaign. The goal is to not only make the residents happier and proud of their home but also help them realize their potential and make them self-reliant in the long-run. Realization of these areas as popular tourist decisions that create income for the locals, while also popularizing a once-ignored community, will always be their aim.
Boss Lady with her team
Chal Rang De successfully coloured various other sectors of the society. Chal Rang De has revamped Sakinaka Police Sation to break the stereotypes that the police are associated with. Chal Rang De has also created Mumbai's largest wall mural by Mumbaikars in collaboration with Mumbai Metro. Chal Rang De has painted city's speed breakers or zebra crossings for Radio City's campaign #BlackAndWhileHoli. Chal Rang De has given sustainable waterproofing to 400 houses of Khar's slums with a colourful alternative to tarpaulins. Along with UNEnvironment and Bhamla Foundation, Chal Rang De created 1200 sqft art wall that promotes #BeatPlasticPollution. Chal Rang De has also revamped an orphanage to celebrate an agency's 5 year anniversary. Chal Rang De used colour as its weapon and the walls of Bandra's SV Road as its canvas to create awareness about mental health with Birla's MPower foundation.
Featured in BBC World, The New York Post, Daily Mail UK, The Guardian, International Business Times, The Week UK, India Today's cover story, among others, TEDx Speaker, Dedeepya Reddy has been honoured by the United Nation's Green Crusader Award, CNBC Network18 India Hoga Clean and MG Changemaker by The Better India. She spoke at an independent TED event in Mumbai on breaking stereotypes in the city's slums. Her study on Creative Thinking and Organizational Success from Harvard University, Boston has helped her develop communicative strategies at Fruitbowl Digital, which is a creative agency co-founded by her. Featured in ET Brand Equity, Campaign India and Ad Age, she has received numerous digital awards from ACEF, Digital Crest, Drivers Of Digital, to Kyoorius Creative Awards for Creativity For Good.
Asalpha Village After Chal Rang De
Future plans
They started out with the idea to just paint the walls of the villages with bright colours but ended up with amazing and talented artists completely changing the face of the place with their contributions. As Chal Rang De grows, they hope they can add more and more to each place we take its spirit. They wish to take the spirit of Chal Rang De across the city, and eventually to every corner of the country. The joy of colours and their ability to tell stories belongs to every single citizen of India, and they will not stop until they get it!