Reviving the world-famous Blue City was not an easy task, but this Let’s Colour initiative managed to bring it back to its former glory. With a splash of paint, we gave this iconic location a fresh look, provided better living conditions for its residents, and supported local culture. All at the same time!
Transformation beyond walls
This ambitious Let’s Colour project took place in one of the most iconic locations in the world – Jodhpur, the Blue City of India. The transformation of the historic city of Rajasthan took over four months and more than thirty people volunteered, including the alumni of the AkzoNobel Academy, local artists and residents, and AkzoNobel employees. With joined efforts, they applied more than 5.600 liters of Dulux paints to over 23.000 square meters of surface.
But the project managed to transform more than just walls. Besides revitalizing an entire neighborhood, it improved the lives of hundreds of its residents and helped to protect their local heritage.
Making the Blue city even bluer
For centuries, the color blue has been an integral part of Jodhpur’s identity. Known as the Blue City, Jodhpur attracted tourists from all over the world. But, over the years, its colors started to fade.
To preserve the signature look of Jodhpur, Let’s Colour repainted 250 homes with a fresh coat of blue paint. Now, the residents are proud again to call Jodhpur their home, and the Blue City is ready to welcome many more visitors.
Making the homes more livable
Since Jodhpur is located on the edge of the Thar Desert, during the peak summer months the temperatures can exceed 45 degrees Celsius.
To improve the living quality of the residents, more than one hundred rooftops have been painted with Dulux Weathershiled Protect, with the special Sunreflect TechnologyTM, which can help to reduce indoor temperatures by up to 5 degrees. As a result, we provided better and more sustainable homes for the residents and made Jodhpur literally cooler.
Preserving the local heritage
Jodhpur is known for its amazing Rajasthani art, so why not showcase it?
And that is exactly what we did. Combining the talents of AkzoNobel volunteers and Paint Academy alumni, as well as the local artists and residents, twenty colorful murals have been created along the ancient streets leading up to Mehrangarh Fort, which towers over the city. This way, we managed to preserve the local culture from getting lost and transformed this touristic area into an open-air gallery everyone can enjoy.
New opportunities for the local community
Elaborating on the Let’s Colour Jodhpur initiative, Rajiv Rajgopal, Managing Director of AkzoNobel India said: “The sheer joy that our “Let’s Colour” initiative is bringing to over 1,000 residents of the Surya Colony is a source of great pride for us. Our efforts in this project go beyond preserving the heritage of the ‘Blue City’. We’re proud to support local artists with opportunities to showcase the art and culture of Rajasthan. We’re confident that with the magic of Dulux paint, this bright, blue hillside will not only bring cheer to the families living here but also create new livelihood opportunities for the local community as the area becomes a must-see hotspot for tourists.”
The Blue City can now live up to its name, and its residents can enjoy their cooler, more colorful homes. Moreover, by promoting local artists and attracting more visitors, the transformation will create new opportunities for the whole community. All this means a better perspective for the people of Jodhpur, which makes our effort worthwhile and reminds us that paint really has more power than we think.
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