Chardiwari

The second main intervention to happen at Tihar Jail was the painting of the boundary wall of the prison. Since its inception, the prison has been a sort of elephant in the room for the region, a palpable presence amongst residents of the neighbourhood. Would an art intervention humanise the area and change the perception of the prison complex? That became the exploration of the rest of the project.

‘Tinka Tinka Tihar’ is an anthology of poems written by the women inmates of Tihar Jail. One of those poems called ‘Chardiwari’ (‘Four walls’) talked about a person’s pain of longing and separation from their loved ones- kept contained within the prison walls. The walls act as a metaphor here, reflecting on their constant struggles to cope with isolation mentally, while also being physically confined.

Working with hand-painted type, a project aimed at contemporising sign painters, the 90-word poem was painted on the boundary wall of the prison in distinct Devanagari typefaces developed specifically for the project. Over a fortnight, 10 local sign painters and 5 sign painters from Uttar Pradesh, along with 15 young street artists from India and abroad, painted the 968 metres of the wall such that one could read the poem as you drove past, also making it the longest mural in India.

Subeh likhti hun/ I write in the morning

Shaam likhti hun/ I write in the evening

Is chaar diwari mein bheti bas

Tera naam likhti hoon

In faaslon mein jo gam ki judai hai

Usi ko har baar likhti hoon

Ye mere shabd nahi

Dil ki awaz hai

Khwahish zinda hai sochti hun,

Sochti hun subeh toh hogi hi,

Iss aas mein hun

subeh likhti hun

Shaam likhti hun

Iss chaar diwari mein behti bas

Tera naam likhti hun

In faaslon mein jo gam ki judai hai

Usi ko har baar likhti hun

Yeh mere shabhd nah

Meri dil ki aawaz hai

Khwahish zinda hai sochti hun