Social Cause: Gond Art by Rural Children

This week we focus on Ahambhumika, an NGO which is working actively to empower rural children by teaching them arts and crafts in an effort to raise funds and to also equip them with vocational skills. 

 

Ahambhumika, an NGO is an active campaigner on social media and strives to raise funds by direct sale and auction of tribal paintings made by their volunteers. The bright and colourful Gond paintings have found many homes and have thereby helped to support them in their work with underprivileged children. Ahambhumika is a small organization based in Bhopal, comprising of a few like-minded people consisting of artists, housewives, engineers, tourist guides, teachers and government employees. Besides supporting a few rural schools, they have a literacy center which provides basic education to 120 rural children.

The organization aims at helping underprivileged children, destitute and orphans by involving people from cities and by collecting material discarded by them (clothes, bicycles, books, toys, newspapers etc.) for the underprivileged people.According to Subrat Goswami, Founder Ahambhumika, “We also impart training in embroidery and art, especially Gond Art to rural children and women. One of our volunteers does the Gond Art and we are now teaching this to a group of rural children. Besides this we also make efforts to raise funds through sale of paintings made by our volunteers.”

 

The Gond tribe is one of the largest Adivasi communities in Madhya Pradesh and as is common with most tribal communities to express their joys and sorrows collectively and in a ritualistic manner, Gond art follows this trend. Their art form conforms to the belief that ‘viewing a good image begets good luck’, which leads them to decorating their houses and floors with traditional tattoos and motifs. Gond art is now practiced on paper and canvas and many artists have found success through this form of tribal art. (Readers will remember that I had written recently about Nankusia Shyam, the wife of the famous Gond artist Jangarh Singh Shyam, you can read the article here.)

Ahambhumika aims to raise funds through the sale of these paintings. It is wonderful that the organization not only provides literacy to children, but also puts in substantial efforts to empower them by providing skill-based learning. 

If you would like to help them out in any capacity please visit their website or contact them here.

Expression of Joy - Mandana Painting

(By Nalini S Malaviya)
These monochromatic paintings on paper are outstanding examples of tribal art done by Meena women from Rajasthan. Intricate designs of animals, birds and other motifs have been painted in exquisite detail. White pigment on brown paper has a stark yet delicate effect that resembles lacework, at times. A tree surrounded with parrots, tiger, peacocks and lotus flowers have been represented through linear drawings. Geometric patterns have also been used to fill up space and add decorative value. The result is quite stunning, especially because some of the works have been done on very large panels. What is also interesting is that most of these paintings are a result of group efforts yet it is impossible to detect any blemishes or oversights.


The Meena tribe is an ancient tribal group living in the eastern part of Rajasthan. The art form called ‘Mandana’ is practiced exclusively by women. For them it is an expression of joy on festive occasions. It is done on the mud walls of houses and traditionally, colored glass, beads, mirrors and stones are also used to decorate these paintings. The conventional art form is created using white chalk and brushes made of khajur or bamboo sticks. The end of the stick is crushed to form fine bristles. The mandanas are painted on walls and floors. Often, geometric patterns are painted on walls, while representational forms of animals, birds, plants and flowers are painted on the walls.

The exhibition titled ‘Joy of Creativity’ is on view till April 10 at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Kumara Krupa Road and at Time and Space Art Gallery, # 55, Lavelle Road, Bangalore.
(Published in FT, Bangalore)