Spinning a yarn of beauty for City

The civic authorities are working towards it, the political will is behind it, and the masses have been calling for it for a long time. Yet, the beautification of Bangalore is progressing like a baby's crawl.

Therefore, it is not least bit surprising that people are taking matters into their own hands.

Meet “Fibre artist” Smera, whose first effort at adding a little more colour to the City's streets—MG Road, to be precise—garnered enough attention for her to have a second go at yarn-bombing at a few other places in Bangalore.

Yarn-bombing— is rather a recent phenomenon in which “yarn-bombers” cover both natural and man-made structures in woven woollen yarn—and other forms of art.

Having left her education incomplete in the US, Smera moved back to her hometown five years ago to take up family responsibilities. Since then, she has set up a website and plans to spread word of her efforts through yarn-bombing.

“It is my way of adding to the City's art scene, and saying that even a housewife
 with some knitting or crocheting skills can add to the beauty of Bangalore. You don't have to be the best artist around,” said Smera, who prefers this one name to her full name, because she says it holds more meaning for her.

There’s another aspect to yarn-bombing: a legal one. It is often considered a form of graffiti, which is often deemed illegal. “Not yarn-bombing,” said Smera, who gained a good understanding of the pertaining laws before covering a few posts on the MG Road in yarn.

“Unlike graffiti, yarn-bombing is not permanent. If you don't like it, just cut it down. You may even use it as a shawl, as a cover for some device, or whichever way you like,” she said.

 “That's the beauty of it.” Yarn-bombing is also often associated with protests, and people abroad—especially in Europe and the Americas—use it to give a vent to their emotions. Smera, however, has no such agenda at the moment. That does not mean she won't take up any cause in the future.
 “If I am called upon to boost the cause of women's rights or child care, I will answer,” said Smera.

Her first attempt caught the attention of a lot of people, who logged onto the website she had mentioned in a knot attached to the yarn around the posts on the MG Road. Quite a few of them asked if she has a message to spread. Not exactly.

“I just want to spread the art,” said Smera.