Graffiti on walls ...:

An ego boost or embarrassment?
 

by Rikaza Hassan

Want to know what's up with the city of Colombo's school-going population? Want to know what's going on in the lives of those well known or considered hip? All ye got to do is read the walls, matey.

If you are not always in the know, there's no need to call up the gossips, just check out the walls of the leading schools in the city. From match results to proclamations of love, anger, hate and inebriated joy, it's all sprayed on the walls in black, blue and red.

"For a girl, having your name mentioned could mean that your screwed because you end up with a reputation that is usually false. Breaking up with a grafitti artist or a guy with a massive ego will almost certainly entail having your name sprayed on your school wall.

It could also mean that your guy doesn't understand embarrassment since he wants to spray a moniker of your coupledom on the wall of your school. (for example RK always) Some guys do it to get back at a girl for refusing to go out with them. But then, some girls enjoy all the attention and the fifteen minutes of fame it brings them," says one student of a leading ladies' college.

Like a free school edition of Hello!, every tid bit considered important for the daily school cafeteria discussion will be graffiti on some wall out there: who likes whom (MS heart Maya), who is going out with whom (JheartC forever), and subsequently who dumped whom (Irosha bitch!...), who cheated on whom (F___ing Gayani &%$&...).

Rivalries are fully exploited, especially during those obsessive big match times, with 'Thora Pons', 'Royal Ballo', 'Ponna Joes', quite common. Says Suren, "Sure we all go a little overboard when it comes to the big match and other big stuff like Bradby. No one really means any harm, it's just all in the heat of the moment."

Generally, the amount of graffiti on the walls of a girls' school is in direct proportion to its current popularity rating among the boys. (The convent ladies' walls usually fight for this honour each occasion.) "Yeah, usually more graffiti means there are more good looking women in that school in a particular O/L or A/L batch. I think the girls enjoy all the attention focused on them, the fuss created at their schools, sending the heads (of the school) into a tizzy.

Some girls even ask their guy friends to spray degrading things about the girls they don't like." Graffiti also serves as a free banner or large poster, with upcoming gigs and talent shows announced to not just the schools, but all members of the public.

Affinities for certian musical acts are expressed as well as dislike. An intriguing line that also passed for a health and manhood warning I once saw on the wall of a school (and duly painted on) during my school days was 'cigarette bona evunge kotai'.

At least in Colombo, graffiti is like the local version of an unlawful myspace available at the cost of a spray can.