Dream a Dream and Aravani Art Project be part of fingers to create a mural at Bengalurus KR Puram

The subsequent time you whiz previous Basvanapura Main Road in Bengaluru’s KR Puram, pause and take a deeper have a look at a wall mural on the busy road. Adorning a boundary wall of a authorities major college, it’s designed by younger people who belong to marginalised backgrounds, the mural happened courtesy of a undertaking between the non-profit Dream a Dream that works in direction of remodeling schooling for kids in India, and Aravani Art Project, a trans-women and cis-women led artwork collective. Together, the 2 organisations “explored what ‘success’ means to younger folks coming from marginalised backgrounds”. And these tales had been the muse of the wall mural that launched on September 12.

Suchetha Bhat, CEO, Dream a Dream, explains that the mural is part of Dream a Dream’s Redefining Success marketing campaign that examines how current methods categorise people into standard narratives of ‘success’ and ‘failure’. “Our life expertise programme graduates show resilience and aspirations, but proceed to face systemic obstacles that restrict their alternatives, elevating a pivotal query: what if success was outlined on their very own phrases?”  

To discover this, the workforce undertook a listening journey with over 325 folks (college students, organisational leaders, authorities officers, artists, authors, amongst others, ranging in age from 14 to 65) between 2023 and 2025, “uncovering that success is deeply private, contextual, and evolving”.

“Our intention now could be to create reflective areas that query this narrative, embrace numerous paths, and encourage a compassionate, holistic understanding of success: one which validates each younger particular person’s distinctive journey and permits a thriving life for each younger particular person,” says Saba.

The mural undertaking was facilitated through artwork workshops with 30 younger people from Dream a Dream’s Thriving Centre. Nandini Rajaramanathan, undertaking lead, Aravani Art Project, says the undertaking brings collectively folks from the transgender neighborhood who paint murals impressed by their lives and experiences, in and round public areas within the metropolis.

“Dream a Dream recognised the depth of experiences these artists have undergone, which is able to assist deliver out deeper insights from our younger folks about their tales of success. They invited us to interact with 30 younger folks (who voluntarily signed as much as be part of this undertaking) at their Thriving Centre in Ok R Puram. The concept of a mural emerged by redefining the concept of success by means of a collection of participatory workshops,” she says, including how the design course of has been completely collaborative, “with the younger folks shaping the themes, colors, and imagery, whereas our workforce facilitates the inventive execution”. 

Saba Ahmad, undertaking lead for Dream a Dream’s collaboration with Aravani Art Project on the Redefining Success Campaign, says the workshops (held between June and August 2025) had been “extremely partaking and thoughtfully structured, providing younger folks a wealthy mix of inventive expression, private reflection, and collective exploration”.

In June, the main focus started with a story-building session that inspired the individuals to start articulating their very own tales and the way they view themselves, she says, including that this laid the groundwork for the thematic explorations that adopted in July and August.

“The July workshops centred on the theme of id and secure expression. Activities included self-portraiture, physique mapping, and interactive theatre periods led by theatre director, Sharanya Ramprakash. Subsequent weeks launched individuals to artwork as activism, overlaying foundational artwork strategies, color idea, and sensory mapping,” says Saba.

“Through storytelling, group collages, and interactive instruments just like the ikigai chart, individuals explored the connection between feelings, id, and inventive expression. A very highly effective second was a storytelling session by means of the works of transgender artist Shwetha, which opened up conversations about inclusion and lived experiences.”

In August, the workshops advanced right into a extra collaborative format. “Participants brainstormed mural ideas by means of storytelling, group discussions, and screenings of related brief movies. They labored in small teams to create visible narratives and mini comedian strips, receiving each peer and facilitator suggestions as they refined their concepts,” says Saba. The programme culminated in a week-long mural portray session in early September.

Nandini says the mural is a vibrant “dream panorama — a mirrored image of the non-public journeys of those younger folks as they redefine success and provides form to their aspirations”. Portraits of the youth, created by means of participatory workshops, inform the central narrative of the art work. “Surrounding these portraits, the design incorporates easy parts that seize their participation all through the workshop reflecting their desires and private progress. 

Importantly, the color palette has been chosen by the individuals, making the mural a direct extension of their creativity and creativeness.”