A Hip New Pursuit

Kajal Singh, India’s first female graffiti artist, believes in breaking stereotypes and going beyond the norm!

- Kajal Singh

What does graffiti mean to you?

KS: Graffiti is the ‘voice of freedom’ for me. Being a shy person, graffiti becomes my voice of expression. It's an expression of my style. It really requires mental and physical strength, strong will, and stamina. It requires me to go beyond the stereotypes set for women by society for ages – it’s about breaking the norms and doing something different.

When were you first introduced to it?

KS: I had seen some graffiti on the streets of Delhi done by foreign graffiti artists. I had also seen it on a music video on the Internet. I hadn't seen a girl doing graffiti in India and it seemed so fascinating and tempting to do! As a child I was always painting with different mediums so it was like a fun new challenge to attempt. I love challenges. And it seemed an easier way to express myself than through dance. I had trained in Bharatnatyam for a few years in school. I got introduced to breaking or b-boying in standard nine and I started learning it.

What is the connection between breaking and graffiti?

KS: Hip-hop is an art movement that began in the Bronx in New York during the early 1970s. Though the term ‘hip-hop’ is often used to refer exclusively to hip-hop music (also called rap), it is characterized by several elements, of which only four are considered essential to understand hip-hop musically. Afrika Bambaataa of the hip-hop collective Zulu Nation outlined the pillars of hip-hop culture as breaking or b-boying, graffiti writing, rapping/MCing, and Djing.

How did you learn the art of graffiti?