Bengaluru: If you think that Mangaluru only has quite a few large potholes, you are wrong. Here is a story about a large pothole that had got attention of the public for a different reason. Baadal Nanjundaswamy, 36, a visual artist from Bangalore, turned a gigantic pothole on the Sulthanpalya Main Road in Bengaluru city into a living ground for a life-sized crocodile couple days ago. This artist was so annoyed with Bangalore’s potholes that he converted one of them into a “Crocodile Pond”.
The artist was not trying to get any publicity for his work. The motive behind doing this was to attract the attention of civic authorities towards a 12-feet long depression and a broken water pipe on the street, both of which were making commuting difficult. According to sources, a drinking water pipe broke about a month ago. The subsequent rain and constant traffic has eroded the road creating a big pothole. Authorities have showed no response to rectify it. Locals have complained to the BBMP and the BWSSB to no avail. So the artist came up with this idea hoping that the concerned authorities may take some action now.
But sadly the artists plans were all in vain- the tragic part was that although the crocodile pond attracted the attention of hundreds of passersby, but the pothole did not get any response from authorities! Just like you, those passing the pond believed the reptile to be real, thanks to the fabulous work and great representation of the visual artist! But it was just a fiber crocodile and Nanjundaswamy spent a week and Rs 6000 to make it, just to get civic authorities to repair the pothole.
Well, this isn’t the first time that Nanjundaswamy has used his art for civic activism. Last year he transformed an open manhole into the mouth of Yamraj – a death trap so to speak. That had attracted the attention of BBMP officials and the manhole was closed within a day. But the artist is still hoping that this time too the authorities, who should actually get potholes repaired without people having to attract their attention, will do the needful!