On toilet walls, message for all: Art depicting inclusivity for LGBTQ & disability, women’s equality

Doing their bit to sensitize society about the inclusivity for disability and LGBTQ, Chandigarh Press Club has built an ‘All Gender’ toilet accessible to people in wheelchairs. 

Giving a strong message of equality for differently abled and LGBTQ in the society, the outer walls of the newly built toilets – All Gender, Men’s and Women’s – at the front lawn of the club are supported with a theme based wall art, advocacy for inclusion. 

The outer sidewall of the ‘All Gender’ toilet has graffiti of rainbow raised fist, depicting unity and support as well as defiance and resistance.

The rainbow fist is the movement which lets people show support to the LGBTQ people of colour. 

The outer wall between ‘All Gender’ and the men’s toilet has graffiti of a wheelchair-bound person. 

“The concept of making graffiti of a wheelchair-bound person is to sensitize the people about the existence of differently abled people in the society and providing equal space for them,” says artist Pabitra Mazumder, who is working as an art teacher with the Chandigarh Education Department and currently posted at Government Model Senior Secondary School in Dhanas.

Mazumder along with his colleague Vilok Kumar Verma and two of their students Md Sufiyaan and Sunny, who are pursuing graduation from the Chandigarh College of Art, are the artists behind the ‘wall art’ with a message.

The outer wall of the women’s toilet is supported by graffiti with a message of women’s equality. The outline sketch of woman faces painted in different colours depicts the women of colour in the fight for gender equality. The different colour depicting different skin colour of woman faces also carries a message of countering the discrimination based on skin colour.  

“Art is a powerful tool to spread a message and can contribute significantly in influencing society. We are thankful to the Chandigarh Press Club for giving us an opportunity to sensitize the society through the theme based wall art,” says Mazumder.