Lodhi Colony police station gets Gandhi mural too

New Delhi, May 28 (IANS) After the Delhi Police headquarters got a life-sized wall mural of Mahatma Gandhi on its facade, the Lodhi Colony police station is now sporting a vivid painting of the Father of the Nation, along with a phrase from his favourite bhajan "Vaishnava Jana To".

Not far from Lodhi Art District, a popular street art destination, the police station has the painting in vibrant hues of red and blue, with Gandhi's full-length illustration and a slogan "peed parayi jaane re" ("knowing the pain of others").

Explaining the motivation behind the artwork, Station House Officer Anil Sharma said everyone who knocks at the door of a police station is a troubled soul, and police must be compassionate.

"The time has come that policing is done with the same rigour and compassion as any service industry. Gandhiji is the perfect idol and example to showcase tolerance and to prove that help is right at their doorstep," Sharma, who planned such an activity ever since taking over the police station in January, told IANS here.

The mural has been curated by street art organisation St+art India, who also painted the Delhi Police HQ exterior with the face of Gandhi in 2014.

"The police are usually the first point of contact when something goes wrong, and someone is in pain. Every station has a Gandhi portrait inside already, and the quote 'peed parayi jaane re' is pretty powerful for the police," St+art India creative director Hanif Kureshi told IANS over phone.

Supported by Asian Paints, the latest mural was designed by Nikunj Prajapati and painted by Sunny Painter and team. It was finished last week.