The 1st class example of the Delhi Metro gave a strong impulse to many cities of India to develop their metro, too. Soon we will have a high number of stations with millions of commuters using them every day.
Still, with frequent trains, all commuters will spend some time at the stations: To access them, wait for some time, walk around to go from one line to another, etc. Therefore, it is of great interest to give commuters the possibility to use thoughtfully the time at the stations: Some will rest; others, freely think; and others will look around observing the behaviour or reading a newspaper, a leaflet or a book.
When one finds something very attractive and good enough, such as some paintings or decorative items like the old gates of ancient castles and palaces, as on some corridors of the Mumbai International Airport, one feels a great curiosity to observe, appreciate, ask from where, when and many details provoked by the quality of the piece exposed. Spontaneously one feels the need to understand a little bit of the history behind it and how it was done, by whom, when, etc. Not everyone goes by plane and goes to the airport, but millions travel every day by metro, now in Delhi and in some more time in the metros of dozens of cities in India, where metros will start running.
I would be happy to see the improved comfort and attractiveness of the metro’s travel, with moments of pleasure and culture, at a station. The commuters must experience when looking around, something beautiful and learn about the portraits, paintings and sculptures of distinguished personalities of our Country/State who were relevant in Philanthropy, Medicine, Science, Maths, Teaching, Astronomy, Sports, Music, Cinema, etc, because all of them helped people enjoy good moments, leading to know and get new interests in life. They were contributors to the well-being of society.
Orderly, I would suggest the following steps for this purpose:
First: Each State or City with a metro, must appoint a Commission to supervise the attribution of an outstanding personality or facts or institution to one station or a metro line, to be “decorated” accordingly.
They will make a selection of entities deserving the honour of being portrayed and referred to extensively at the metro line.
What kind of personalities? I would say all those committed to the betterment of the society, namely of the particular State, with initiatives, actions, and opinions.
To exemplify: Philanthropists, such as Nusservati Tata, Dorabji Tata and other Tatas with a clear concern in eradicating poverty and/or setting Institutions of high value to cure de sick, to train highly endowed people.
– People who are dedicated to social work, finding ways to overcome poverty.
– Authors of top-class initiatives, such as Dr Venkataswami (Dr V), founder of the Aravind Eye Care System; Dr Pratap Reddy, founder of Apollo Hospitals of India; Bunker Roy, founder of Barefoot College; Dr Verguese Kurien, GM of AMUL and the White Revolution; Lal Bahadur Shastri, Prime Minister, who launched the NDDB-National Dairy Development Board; Eng Norman Borlaug – the Father of the Green Revolution; Saint Mother Theresa of Kolkata, for her focus on the dying, abandoned poor people; Dr Ambedkar for his action towards the Dalits; Eng Shridharan, Ex-President of Delhi Metro, etc, everyone recognized as an important asset in the transformation of our Country.
– Important Facts and Institutions will have also a prominent place in the dedication of the stations, such as the ISRO, the exploration of space, the Indian Nuclear Energy Institution, the NIO – National Institute of Oceanography, etc.
– Those who developed medicine such as Aryabhata, Dr Ernest Borges in Cancer; mathematicians such as Ramanujan, Dr Narinder Singh Kapany, the Father of Optical Fiber, Nobel Prize Rahman, in Quantic Mechanic.
– Scientists and entrepreneurs of the pharma industry such as Dr Yussuf Hamied of Cipla, who brought notoriety to Indian pharma with “his” product for HIV, to sell at $1/day, when all the MNCs sold theirs at the price of $10.000/year. The founder of Fabindia – the company buys from 55,000 handicraft artisans all over the country, to sell in its shops.
– Outstanding people in literature as Tagore, and other Nobel Prize Winners.
– People of sports: Champions and also those exemplary in their conduct, and very good in promoting the practice of some sports, teamwork and collaboration to make sports successful.
– Masters in chess, designers, and cartoonists such as the famous Mario Miranda.
– Painters, musicians, actors, singers, film directors, etc.
– Ignored or forgotten people in the fight for Independence.
Second: Having chosen whom to dedicate the metro line and each station, after a wide consultation on whom to add or step down, there is a need to find, the best persons to make up each concrete station: Its decoration, choosing or ordering the portraits, paintings, photos of the works related to the well-doer.
It could be of interest doing a huge surface on tiles. I mean a huge surface of tiles of a base colour on which to insert several pictures.
The Commission will elaborate a general plan for the city metro and choose/assess the “decorator” from among three. Each project of the station or the whole metro line could be submitted to popular votes, exhibiting it during some time for appreciation.
Third: There will be a need for a budget approved by the City Council. So, the decorative material must be of high class, also thinking on the maintenance of the same, having into account the humidity and other types of pollution reigning. Artistic pieces of metal in low and high relief, well protected, could have their place. This will be a way to allow good artists, painters, sculptors, and writers, to produce pieces on the personalities and their works.
In fact, in a poor environment, the “group” of artists is the one suffering the most, as there was no one to pay for their works of art. Many times they were bought by a foreigner; because of the difficulty of selling, the artist stopped painting. But once this system starts, immediately there will appear artists, with good work done, who will grasp their opportunity.
It is time to pay tribute to many bright thinkers, inventors, and contributors to the Society of old and new times, forgotten under the noise of colonization. And to rewrite correctly the history of India with facts and discoveries, making them accessible to the ordinary people who travel day after day from the workplace to home.
(The author is Professor at AESE-Business School (Lisbon), at IIM Rohtak – India)
