Skip linksSkip to Content
play
Live
Navigation menu
  • News
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East
  • Explained
  • Opinion
  • Sport
  • Video
    • Features
    • Economy
    • Human Rights
    • Climate Crisis
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Science & Technology
    • Podcasts
play
Live

In Pictures

Gallery

Walls that speak: India’s campus graffiti

A peek into thriving public art in New Delhi based Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Democracy is subservient to corporate interests is the message in this graffiti put up by All India Students Association, AISA, which is the most popular student group in the JNU campus.
By Saif Khalid
Published On 30 Dec 201330 Dec 2013
facebooktwitterwhatsappcopylink

Graffiti or the art of wall-writing on public walls is not a big phenomenon in India, but it is beginning to make a mark on the walls and buildings of metros such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

The campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) based in New Delhi has one of the oldest and finest traditions of graffiti. Not surprising, since JNU has one of the most vibrant campuses in the country with a culture of open debates and intellectual discourse.

Department buildings and walls are scribbled with slogans, graffiti and posters by students of various orientations – left, right and centre – using their creative means to convey their messages.

From hostel canteens to university library to various departments, one can find graffiti and posters on all issues ranging from mundane price rise to gender rights, from Naxal politics to international issues such as occupation of Palestine and rise of the global left.

The wall writings give a running commentary on the state of affairs in the country and the world from the issue of privatisation and so-called multinational onslaught to issues of broader gender divide to corruption and terrorism.

From Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who died recently, to the long-dead Chairman Mao Tse Tung of China, the walls of the campus resound with their anti-imperialist rhetoric.

Named after India’s first Prime Minister, the university is known for its disciplined and highly political conscious student community who come from across the country.

Advertisement

The university, founded in the late 1960’s, is dominated by leftist ideology and left student groups have managed to remain at the centre of the campus’s political life.

Despite being a highly politicised campus, there is no history of violence in JNU and its more than 7,000 students are said to be one of the most mature in India.

One set of slogans is answered by another set and they are placed on assigned spaces as per university guidelines. Printed posters are not allowed, only hand-made posters are used in the campus.

For Nehru, a university stood for “humanism, for tolerance, for reason, for the adventure of ideas and for the search of truth”, and the culture in JNU seems to have maintained the argumentative Indian tradition pretty well.

This poster by All India Students Federation, the political wing of Communist Party of India, calls for South Korean steel giant, POSCO, to scrap its proposed plant in the eastern state of Odisha.
Advertisement
Violence against women has been one of the biggest issues in India this year in the wake of the gang rape and murder of a Delhi students in December last year. The graffiti calls for zero tolerance towards violence against women.
This poster calls to fight patriarchy, misogyny and rape culture.
The various challenges facing the country have been depicted here.
This poster, pasted outside university library by Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, ABVP, affiliated to main opposition party BJP, takes a pot shot at state of Indian media.
Politicians are sucking the blood of the people through corruption is the message of this poster by the student group, India First.
Advertisement
Youth for Equality, a student group against reservation in jobs and universities, with its message splashed on the wall.
The issue of Telangana also finds space on the walls. Opinion is divided on the issue of carving out of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh state.
In solidarity with the working class. The slogan finds resonance amid the global job cuts and austerity measures.
This poster calls on the federal government to stop Green Hunt, an army operation against Maoists fighting Indian state.
The imposing portrait of Hugo Chavez, the late President of Venezuela, with the message that socialism can be an alternative to capitalism.
Graffiti calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
The struggle for the rights of women portrayed through this graffiti by AISA, the student wing of Communist Party of India Marxist Leninist.
This graffiti highlights Hindu nationalist leader Narendra Modi(***)s expenditure on image makeover.
In solidarity with Irom Sharmila, an activist from Northeast state of Manipur who has been fasting for the last 13 years against special powers given to armed forces.
Parliamentarians instead of debating crucial public issues make noise and waste time is the message of this poster.
Long-dead Chinese leader Mao Tse Tung comes alive on the walls of JNU


    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • EU/EEA Regulatory Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Sitemap
    • Work for us
    • Contact Us
    • User Accounts Help
    • Advertise with us
    • Stay Connected
    • Newsletters
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
    • Al Jazeera Media Institute
    • Learn Arabic
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights
    • Al Jazeera Forum
    • Al Jazeera Hotel Partners

Follow Al Jazeera English:

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • instagram-colored-outline
  • rss
Al Jazeera Media Network logo
© 2025 Al Jazeera Media Network