Scrolling.
About a hundred years ago, it held an entirely different meaning. Teams of storytellers and artists would travel from village to village, narrating popular stories from the local milieu: be it from the Ramayana or Mahabharata, or the exploits of local gods or heroes.
The scroll, generally made of panels, would slowly unfold, the bards bringing to life the characters with their narration. In essence, they were the moving pictures of yesteryear.
Inevitably, this art lost out to more modern media, and as such, remains a “novel” experience today. What about the art that graced the scrolls?
These art forms have now jumped off the canvas and found their way to modern avatars: on fabric, coasters, pen stands, and even umbrellas!
Some of these Indian art forms are Pattachitra, Cherial, and Phad paintings.
Phad paintings remain true to their original form. With modernism, the phad katha, which talks about the life stories of Devnarayan, a form of Vishnu, or Pabuji, a folk god, find fewer takers. Less than ten people practice this art form currently.
A traditional Phad painting depicting the life of Pabuji. Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
Pattachitra underwent a renaissance decades ago, and split into different styles, eventually making its way to products that people can use every day. Cherial art has had a different trajectory. The art form, practiced by very few families in modern-day Telangana, found it difficult to transition to a full-time vocation for most families.
Even if Cherial art remains active in its original avatar of Nakashi art, which one relates to masks and other artifacts, one family has managed to transition the same from a scroll art to something different. Sai Kiran Dhanalakota has contributed greatly in its revival, having studied fine arts to do just this: bring Cherial art to the modern generation.
Club Artizen worked with him to create new products in the spirit of sustainability. These Cherial inspired coasters, with a modern twist to the traditional women motifs, and the CD tealight holders exemplify what we do at Club Artizen.
It’s a long journey from being an art form that tells an entire story to one that captures a single moment, like a photograph. India’s rich cultural history enables us to harness into that history and work with art forms so they are relevant and also maintain the techniques of the craft.
