Art Crimes: India 1

The earliest piece sent to Art Crimes from India, painted in Pushka (almost certainly by a visitor from another country) - photo by Frederic via Sebastian Larsen in 2004.

India has a lot of writing on the walls; however it's often paid for, but illegally placed, advertising and political campaign related. So even though it's a very interesting case of wall writing, it's not modern graffiti, but more like flyposting.

Wall advertising, from Chennai 2009, photo by Ranjan De. He said, "The slogans maybe paid for but as it defaces both public and private property walls and boundaries it is very much banned." He explained that India has 18 official languages and many scripts, and many people there speak 3 or 4 of them. It's way more complicated than even that, though. Wikipedia notes that 1652 languages were recognized in India by the 1961 census, and 30 have more than a million speakers.

This photo, also by Ranjan De in Chennai in 2009, looks a little graffiti-inspired, but we don't know who did it or whether it's a campaign mural.

Photos thanks to Zine in New Delhi, in 2013:
Zine Zine Zine

Riz, Bond (Germany) Daku, Bond

Demo "Stone" by Demo Demo

Demo Komet Komet

Komet Komet Komet

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