Mumbai: 47-year-old teacher, students give Matunga railway station a bright makeover

Matunga railway station is not the same since Sunday. Regular commuters will find that the foot over bridge on the southern end at the station has undergone a colourful and bright makeover.

If you are delighted, thank 47-year-old teacher Haresh Shah and his group of 30 volunteers. Shah's Make A Difference (MAD) Foundation now plans to give the entire station a complete makeover.

It was in April this year that MAD approached Western Railway to adopt the station and it received the permission by September.

"I have been running coaching classes for 20 years and several of my students are studying architecture. Together, we made a presentation for the makeover of the station and we started off was with the foot over bridge," shares Shah.

While painting the bridge, they also started cleaning all the grime and muck, from October 10.

Shah informs after the initial painting, they decided to use bright red, yellow, blue and green for the stairs. On Sunday, they managed to complete the task giving the bland bridge a lively look.

"We used bright colours to create a positive mood at the station for those heading to work, college or returning home. Next, we plan to take up the ramp on the Borivli end. That too will be completely painted bright and the cement sheets on the sides will adorn butterflies, which will glow in the dark," added Shah. The work is carried out using funds from donors.

As per the foundation's plans, the area around the station's booking windows on the Borivli end will also be painted and there will be murals depicting places of interests in Matunga.

"The murals will consist of iconic places like Ruparel College, Kashi Vishveshwar Temple, Sandesh Hotel and other places. At another location, we will put up vinyl, above the ramp, depicting seven Indian festivals – Navratri, Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Dahi Handi, Holi and Baishakhi," said Shah.

While all this will give the station a new look, they will also concentrate on the basics like providing dustbins and even plantations between tracks and boundary wall, where currently garbage is dumped.

Members of the foundation informed that they plan to finish all these within a week as they plan to hold the inauguration ceremony by inviting Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Shailendra Kumar as well as some celebrities.

"I have been working with youngsters in the age group of 18 to 25 and it was my aim to use their enormous energy to bring about a change. Hence, I initiated this MAD Foundation and the entire work of Matunga station is being done by the youth. In fact, within two days, we have started getting a phenomenal response on social media as students and several other commuters are seen taking selfies and pictures on the bridge," stated Shah.

Since the bridge was painted bright, littering and spitting have reduced, he said.

A railway official from WR stated: "Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has encouraged more people and foundations to adopt railway stations. The work at Matunga is eye-catching and we hope more people to get inspired to adopt stations and help us encourage commuters to keep the premises clean and beautiful."