Ayushi, 24
Burnt, rusted junk metal frame of cars and other vehicles may be a common sight on city outskirts and highways, but seldom does anyone takes the initiative to transform one such piece of scarp into an art. Hyderabad girl Ayushi Sharma, who is a graphic designer by profession, could not digest the sight of a burnt car parked near her house in Malaysian township and decided to do something about it. "I first noticed this car when I moved here and was surprised to know that no one has ever thought of removing the carcass of the vehicle from that spot, or sell it from metal. That's when I decided to do something, but instead of moving it, I chose to paint," 24-year-old Sharma said.
Ayushi says the transformation took seven days of hardwork
She says it took her seven days to transform the car into a piece of art. She worked on the project before and after her office on weekdays and full-time on the weekend. The artist said that she did face several other problems like rain and traffic, as the abandoned car frame is on the side of a busy road.
Ayushi says she worked before and after work for seven days to comeplete her project
Not to mention, the demotivation infused by the comments of passerbys, hawkers, workers. Several workers who passed by me everyday told me that my work was irrelevant and told me to stop, it was demotivating a little, but I pushed on and today I am very glad that I finished it, she said.
The car has now become the favourite selfie spot of the area
She did have encouragement too. Ayushi says her neighbours supported her and showed excitement towards having an artistic addition to the area. The car has now become favourite local selfie spot. Everyday I see college kids and others gathered here in groups, clicking selfies with the car.
Once abandoned junk, the car now stands tall as beautiful piece of street art.
When I was starting the project, I was expecting the trouble from the authorities as I was not sure if I would be allowed to do something like that in a public space, but I was glad to see that no one stopped me. Policemen passed by but never interrupted me from painting the car, Ayushi said.
This is not the end for Ayushi
Ayushi, who owns her a online handmade greeting card business, said that this was is just the beginning. I am planning to scale up this initiative and not just paint other defunct abandoned cars but also burnt buses and other vehicles which are routinely found next to streets in Hyderabad.
