Click, clack, spray: 'First Lady' of graffiti in India

Kajal Singh is known as the 'First Lady' of graffiti in India.

A wee-bit crazy, passionate — that’s what ‘Dizy’ means,” says Kajal Singh, talking about the pseudonym that she uses in her work. “From the time graffiti artists were forced to remain anonymous because of the topics of their work that were often anti-establishment and illegal, many of them now — even though their identity is not a secret — still keep an alias,” explains the country’s first woman graffiti artist who has, at the age of 26, already been recognised for her work by the Indian President who honoured her for being the ‘First Lady’ of graffiti in 2018. This year, she was part of the Indian National Bar Association’s 100 ‘phenomenal women’ and was featured in ‘The Phenomenal She’, a coffee-table book launched on International Women’s Day.

Kajal’s tryst with graffiti started when she was still at school and became a fan of break-dance and hip-hop music. “A fairly new concept in India, it was hip-hop that showed me the way for graffiti,” she smiles recalling the time she’d go out jamming with friends and get fascinated watching international artists doing graffiti — one of hip-hop’s key elements. “Although I had been doing art since childhood, this different medium was very new for me.” Needless to say, she was inspired enough to try it out.

And soon, while still at college, Kajal was “hanging around, observing and working with” international artists who’d came to showcase their art. Seeing her interest, they encouraged her to go to Germany to learn more about graffiti — something she did soon after getting her degree in home science.

Calligraphy designs

In Berlin, working with a number of seasoned artists, Kajal got a lot of exposure to graffiti. Ask her if there’re any special classes or courses where one can learn the art and she shakes her head.

“Not really. It’s just your passion that takes you ahead and, over time, you develop your own style,” says the artist whose works are often noticeable with her name prominently displayed in beautiful calligraphy designs and enhanced with varied themes such as fitness, women empowerment, Indian motifs, etc.

With just a handful of people — and that includes her brother Akash too — pursuing graffiti in India, Kajal says the genre still has a long way to go here. “Till sometime back, even paints needed for it were not available, so we would have to make do with ones used in industrial work and walls of buildings. Although they did serve our purpose to a large extent, these paints were not specialised enough for graffiti. But now, fortunately, some brands are available in India,” says Kajal.

But, this art form is not an easy one to pursue, “because, for one, its paints are quite expensive. Also, the gear you sometimes need to use like face masks — because chemicals in the paint can disturb the skin and eyes — is not something many are comfortable and happy with.”

However, graffiti is not just about artworks on the walls, trains and buses, “it has, with changing times, also made its way to big canvases and clothes — because artists also need money to sustain themselves. And the fact that the art form is open to letting its artists explore new styles and media adds to the magic of graffiti,” says the young artist.

Beauty and colour

Now that she has made a mark in the field, Kajal remains busy not just doing commissioned work, but also practising on her own. For the latter, she’s always on the lookout for neglected places, abandoned and isolated areas like old neighbourhoods and spots close to railway tracks, etc. “And I take permission wherever required. And more often than not, people are happy to grant it because they feel graffiti will add beauty and colour to that space,” says Kajal hoping that just like Berlin, Paris and many other European cities, India also starts offering “legal spots” for graffiti.

While this, she adds, may take a while, she wishes that graffiti artists are given the freedom and space to work undisturbed in public spaces “without unwarranted attention and disturbance from local street boys, which can get pretty annoying at times.” That is the reason Kajal — especially when she’s working alone — is always accompanied by her family members “who worry for my security”.

But when she’s with a group of fellow graffiti artists, then each experience is not just “fun, but also educative and gratifying”. What’s more, people of the neighbourhood ensure they go back with beautiful memories and a taste of their endearing hospitality. Kajal smiles recalling the time she and a group of German artists were given a special token of appreciation (“despite the local people’s limited means”) at the completion of their graffiti project — a glass of milk “that really stole our hearts away.”