Children with vacant eyes held by women beggars confront commuters, not only on the streets of Hyderabad, but from its walls – two of the city’s most uncompromising street artists, Swathi and Vijay, force citizens to stop, stare, and question themselves.
Walls in Gachibowli, Himayatnagar and select private spaces now carry haunting messages such as “Why am I always sleepy?” and “I’m not an object for begging.”
Personal inspiration
“The inspiration came from a very personal place,” says Vijay. “We had a newborn in the family and suddenly became over-conscious, carrying water bottles everywhere, checking if food was organic, being extra careful. Around that time, a woman begging with a child approached us. When we said we had no change, she showed us a QR code. That shook me. It felt like begging had turned into a corporate system.”
The couple soon realised this was no isolated incident. Over the past two years, child begging has spread from busy city junctions to smaller towns. “It’s not okay to even offer food, it only fuels the business. In the name of punya, we are committing a sin. Drugs become the child’s food, and by giving, we are funding an addiction, pushing them into a cycle where they end up as druggies or traffickers all their lives,” says Vijay.
Art as resistance
For Swathi and Vijay, art has always been more than aesthetics – it is a call to the conscience. They first painted together during the Telangana agitation in 2012–13, creating a mural of Mahatma Gandhi hurling flowers instead of stones, urging non-violence. Since then, their works have questioned issues of education, politics, and humanity – from the viral Missing: Honest Politicians campaign to murals in government schools that helped boost student attendance. A French scholarship in 2014 exposed them to global street art.
“Graffiti has always been a medium of resistance. In olden days, it was even used in naxalism. That’s why it is banned in parts of Europe,” Vijay explains. “For us, art is communication. Words have limits. A strong image itself makes you question.”
Resonance and responsibility
Started six months ago, the couple’s work on child beggars has drawn appreciation from the public, including celebrities, but also unease. “It resonates with everyone, but they stop short of action because it is a huge mafia,” says Vijay. He insists society must come together to act. “Today, one in 100 children are missing. Tomorrow, it could be 10 in 100. If society collectively refuses to allow child begging, the business will collapse. We need to question, we need to act. If you see a child being exploited, report it to the traffic police nearby, dial 100, or call Childline 1098. The Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, clearly penalizes employing or using children for begging, yet it continues in plain sight.”
The couple is in early discussions with government authorities about taking the campaign further but declin to share details at this stage.
