Crafts & visual arts

“During our biggest festival ‘Sorhai’ there were decoration on the walls with flower designs, bird and animal figures. I saw my mother and sister drawing red and blue lines on the walls by climbing on the bamboo ladder. [C]enturies-old traditional knowledge and art of building low-cost-no-cost mud-houses and the related skills and crafts, like wall paintings die out.” – Boro Baski in “Is ‘brick house’ the only sign of development?” (translated from an article in Bengali Anandabazar Patrika, 21 July 2019)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=29829

New light on hunter-gatherers in Narmada Valley, Indus Valley Civilisation and modern India’s cultural and linguistic diversity: Anthropological Museum Kolkata – West Bengal

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A new museum in Kolkata tells the tale of how modern humans in the Indian subcontinent evolved from ancestors who arrived about 12.3 million years ago from Africa, during the Pleistocene era. Set up by the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI), the museum traces the history of human evolution in this part of the world through … Read more

Showcasing the lifestyle of the Koya community: Tribal museum and Sammakka–Saralakka Jatara festival at Medaram village – Telangana

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With the exclusive tribal museum becoming operational on Tuesday, devotees thronging to the historic Medaram village for the Sammakka–Saralakka jatara can now get an insight into the life and culture of Adivasi and Koya tribes. […] The circular museum building, decorated with murals, has been attracting the devotees to get to know the lifestyle and … Read more

Book on the distinctive ear ornaments of the northeastern “Seven Sister States”: Proudly worn by women and men – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura

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Read the full article by Dr. Waltraud Ganguly titled “Earrings in India”:https://asianart.com/articles/ganguly/17a.html Earrings have a special status in Indian jewellery; they are highly decorative and beautify the face. Moreover, they are a sign of identification for their wearers or for a geographic region. These signs of identity and social status are mostly given up in urban … Read more

Success stories illustrated and facilitated by Warli artist Rajesh Chaitya Vangad – Maharashtra & Bihar

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My Gandhi Story | Preview or order this Tulika book here >>Author : Nina Sabnani, Ankit ChadhaIllustrator : Rajesh Chaitya VangadEveryone has their own story of Gandhi — and in this book a Warli artist, a storyteller and an animation filmmaker come together in a unique collaboration to bring a very visual story of Gandhi to children. […]Like the three creators behind … Read more

Santal creation myth in “Painted Songs”: an exhibition and publication on Bengali picture-scroll traditions – Zurich (Switzerland)

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Painted Songs: Continuity and Change in an Indian Folk Art by Thomas Kaiser (192 pages, 22 x 30 cm, 196 mostly coloured illustrations). Stuttgart and Zürich 2012. ISBN 9783897903661. Note: A major chapter (pp. 88-123) consists of illustrations of the “Santal Creation Myth”. More information: ARNOLDSCHE Art Publishers A wide range of themes, formats and techniques are covered both in … Read more