Published in August, 2017 by National Institute of Fashion Technology Opp-Hitech City, Jaihind Enclave, Madhapur, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500081 Developed By: Aabha Malhotra Aishwariya Raghuwanshi Apoorva Gupta Ashi Sharma G. Pranaya Kritika Bhardwaj Megha Arya Meghavi Shah Saurabh Suman All rights are reserved by NIFT. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or photocopy without prior permission. Printed in India
CONTENTS
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Introduction
Cheriyal Scroll Painting is a popular and modified version of Nakashi art, considered highly rich in the local motifs. This art form is unique to the state of Telangana and made mostly in Hyderabad currently. These scrolls are painted in narrative format similar to a film roll or even comic strips, and depict stories from the Indian mythology as well as the shorter stories related to the Puranas and Epics. Scroll paintings are known for their rich history and they also assume a significant role among Asia’s artistic traditions. The Cheriyal paintings represent a distinct local invention, based mainly on local traditions.
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The Vibrant
CITY
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Cheriyal Village Cheriyal (or Cherial) is a village and a mandal in siddipet district in the state of Telangana is located at a distance of about (104.4Â km) from Hyderabad. Hyderabad is the state capital for Cheriyal village.
Climate Warangal has a predominantly hot and dry climate.
Occupation The primary occupation of the village is Farming with chief crop being rice paddy followed by cotton.
Tourism The artists prepare the cheriyal paintings based on the various themes of Ramayan, Mahabharat and Bhagwatgita. The rich and vibrant colours paintings attract the visitors from all over the world.
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Where the city still runs on wheels.
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Where every corner Cheers.
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Where it all
STARTED
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Nakashi Art
The cheriyal paintings were called the Nakashi paintings in earlier times . ‘Nakash” basically means motif from which the name “Nakashi”: painter of motifs has been derived.
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History The main reason for the birth of this craft was a source of livelihood of the artisans. The artisans skilled in making these scroll paintings belong to the Nakashi caste. The origins of Nakashi scroll paintings in the Telangana region can be traced back to the 16th century village of Vemulawada during the Nizami rule. They do emulate the aforementioned crafts in the way in which the canvas is used but the motifs have a distinctive appearance in their own way The paintings were prevalent in the Telangana region and were known earlier as “Telangana scrolls�. But with the advent of television, cinema and computers, its popularity and productivity has warned. Today, as the paintings are made solely in the Cheriyal village they are known as Cheiryal paintings.
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P
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The spectacle and narration started with prayers to Ganesha, whose large image was shown in the opening panel of most of the scrolls. The narration was in the Telugu language, part in poem and prose. Four or five male members of his family accompanied the main narrator; one of them joined him in singing at intervals, while the others played musical instruments. Rarely did women members join this troupe only to sing.
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Weapons of
INOVATIONS
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Scroll Paintings Cheriyal paintings are a unique pictorial presentation of the numerous tales from Hindu epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana and the various Indian Puranas. They acted as wonderful means of communication, particularly useful for illiterate people and conveyed significant moral virtues, motivating people to be virtuous.
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KHADI CLOTH Khadi cloth is hand woven cotton cloth, used as a canvas for Cheriyal paintings as a base.
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TREE GUM Tree gum is a natural gum extracted from the barks of specific tree, which is used in canvas preparation.
RICE STARCH Rice starch is prepared by boiling the rice in excess water. The thick water that remains after the rice is cooked is known as rice starch.
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STONE COLOURS Stone colors are extracted from the stones and grinded as per their color requirements and later on use as paints. Some artists also use acrylic or poster paints.
SQUIRREL HAIR BRUSHES Stone colors are extracted from the stones and grinded as per their color requirements and later on use as paints. Some artists also use acrylic or poster paints. 33
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SawDust Masks Sawdust masks or Cheriyal masks are 3D depiction of Gods like Lord Ganesh, Lord Shiva, and toher mythological characters from myhthological stories or common man’s faces. They are used as decorations as wall hangings.
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SAWDUST Powdery particles of wood produced by sawing which is later mixed to form a paste for preparing masks.
COCONUT SHELL Coconut shells are used as containers to mix colors and as a base to prepare Cheriyal Masks.
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TAMARIND SEEDS Tamarind seeds are used as a base for sculpting the shape onto the mask and also boiled after which the excess paste is used to define the features of the masks.
KHADI CLOTH Khadi cloth is also used in sawdust masks to cover the mask before whitewashing and painting. 37
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Color Talk
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Red is the most dominating color and the main recognizable feature of Cheriyal Painting. The background of all the paintings include this color excluding the main figures which are outlined by black which seperates and highlights them from the background
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After the background is painted with red, the main figures are colored with the primary colors like green, blue, yellow and skin. The final outline is done with black as it provides
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The Detailed
PROCESS
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SCROLL PAINTINGS ...
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Preparing for Scroll The mixture of rice starch, tamarind seeds paste and tree gum in proportion are mixed and made into slurry paste. The mixture is evenly applied on the khadi cloth on which the painting has to be done. After the application of this mixture on khadi cloth for three times, the cloth is allowed to dry.
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Preparing the Natural Colours Colors are extracted from stones. Black color: Kerosene lamp White color: sea shells Yellow: Turmeric Blur, Green anfd red colors : Natural stones are used. All these stones are crushed in the stone grinder and the tree gum is added to it and are used for painting.
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Basic line drawing After preparing the canvas, the line drawing is made with Graphite (Pencil). Over which the paint will be applied.
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Base Color After the line drawing is made, the base colorRed is applied excluding the main figures.
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Final outlines and borders Lastly, the figures are painted and outlined with black color. And the frames are decorated with flowers and given a bold outline.
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SAWDUST MASKS & DOLLS
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Traditional Expressions
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Preparing the base Base is made from coconut shells or cement over which the sawdust paste is applied and left to dry for hours.
Embossing the features
Covering it with cloth
Whitewashing the mask
After the base dries the shell is removed from the mould and then the features are added it it.
Once the basic structure is made, a piece of Khadi cloth is used to cover it to make the surface smooth.
The white paste used for the scrolls is used on the mask too. The whitewashed mask is sanded to make it smooth.
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Finished product
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Skilled
HANDS
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D. Vaikuntam Nakash
D. Vaikuntam Nakash Master craftsman and National Awardee
These paintings from the Telangana region are the handiwork of artists called Nakashs, who have been doing this for long. “Mere dada, pardada aur unke phele yeh karte the (My grandfather, great grandfather and even before them, were doing this work.) . Today, our family is one of the rarest which is engaged in this art,� says D. Vaikuntam Nakash, master craftsman and National Awardee, not without a touch of sadness.
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Mr. D Vaikuntam being presented with National Award by Telangana Minister- SRI K.CHANDRASHEKAR RAO
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Mr. Vinay Kumar (Mr. D. Vaikuntam’s son) working on a scroll.
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D. Vinay Kumar, Vaikuntam’s son, also practises this art and has been painting stories since he was eight. He says, “The scrolls formed a colourful backdrop to the engaging oral traditions of the people - the village barber, toddy tapper, the dhobi, the leather worker, fisherman, weaver and farmer. And we painted their tales and stories. It is only later that the work transcended these categories and became more universal.”
The NAKASH family (L-R) Mr. Vinay kumar , Mr. D Vaikuntam Nakash, Mrs. Nakash, Mr. Rakesh Nakash.
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A 30 Ft. scroll painting painted by Mr. D. Vaikuntam and his sons.
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D. Venkatrmana
D. Venkatramana Master craftsman and National Awardee
These paintings from the Telangana region are the handiwork of artists called Nakashs, who have been doing this for long. “Mere dada, pardada aur unke phele yeh karte the (My grandfather, great grandfather and even before them, were doing this work.) . Today, our family is one of the rarest which is engaged in this art,� says D. Vaikuntam Nakash, master craftsman and National Awardee, not without a touch of sadness.
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D.Venkataramana and his family
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D. Venkatrmana
His family is his stength and that’s what keeps him motivated to bulid this craft since it is the only source of their living. D. Venkatramana shares - “Government does promote this craft but only to an extent, I want people to be aware of this beautiful art which is going extinct”. He holds exhibition, Craft workshops for ladies and kids which propogates the traditional art.
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Mr. Nagila Ganesh
Mr. Nagila Ganesh Cheriyal Artist and State Awardee
D. Venkatramana is one of the few artists who are still carrying this craft forward. His work ranges from Scroll painting , Sawdust masks, Jwellery boxes etc. This craft is the only source of this living. He also exhibits his work and sells the items mainly to the government and even some products are customized personally by himself.
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- Mr. Nagila Ganesh
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Mr. Nagila Ganesh
“There is a story behind every story and I want the middle class to be able to afford it,�
- Mr. Nagila Ganesh with his family
He says- there was a time when it was affordable and donors would give generously, but these days donations have come down considerably. “Even we are not interested in making these scrolls,” says Ganesh with regret in his voice, “because there is no profit.” He makes a valid point when he says that there was a time when they were dependent on the storytelling community to buy their scrolls, but now they have a network and are not dependent on the other community.
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- Mr. Ganesh’s table where he works
An initiative taken by Mr. Ganesh to promote the Cheriyal craft also joined by her wife and kids. They would be teaching students this vibrant art and help to expaand it.
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Product
RANGE
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Cheriyal Paintings Small paintings- Rs. 150/(Starting Price) and Maximum Rs. 50,000/(Depending on the order and size). 80
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Jwellery Boxes
Starting Rs. 250/- maximum Rs.2,000/- (Depending on the size).
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Jwellery Boxes Starting Rs. 250/maximum Rs.2,000/(Depending on the size). 85
Visiting Cards 86
These cards are made for their personal use and used as an identification for the craftsmen.
Calendars
Starting Rs. 250/- maximum Rs.2,000/(Depending on the size).
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Pen stand 88
Rs. 100/-
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Tray Rs. 750/-
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Sawdust Masks Starting Rs. 200/(depending upon the sizes)
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Plates
Starting Rs. 750/maximum Rs.2,000/(Depending on the size and material) 93
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Frames for tourism These frames are made on government orders for promoting tourism. The price is fixed by the government. 95
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Conclusion
The research and documentation of this craft- Cheryl scroll paintings was overall and educational experience for all of us. From the history of the craft till how it is practiced today gave us a brief about how is the status and condition of this craft in today’s time. The coffee table book was overall an educational experience. To know how aesthetics form a particular page and how much it matters to the book gave us a deep knowledge. In conclusion, this documentation and research helped us a lot in improving our knowledge about our heritage. We are sure it will help us in our near future. Thank you
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Bibliography
WEBSITES (2008). Legacy of Cheriyal paintings[Internet]. <https://mapinmypocket.com/2016/05/08/artisan-villages-of-telangana-cheriyal/> [accessed on 10th september 2017] (2008). History of Cheriyal Paintings [Internet]. <hhttp://www.indianetzone.com/70/cheriyal_scroll_painting.htm> [accessed on 11th september 2017] (2009). Artisan Villages of Telangana: Cheriyal [Internet]. <https://www.thebetterindia.com/101589/artisan-husband-wife-duo-legacy-cheriyal-paintings/> [accessed on 10th september 2017] (2010). Passing on the rich legacy [Internet]. <http://www.deccanchronicle.com/151005/lifestyle-booksart/article/passing-rich-legacy> [accessed on 12th september 2017] (2006). Cheriyal paintings by Famous artists [Internet]. <http://vaikuntamnakash.blogspot.in/> [accessed on 11th september 2017] (2011). The dying art [Internet]. <hhttp://www.craftsvilla.com/blog/cheriyal-nakashi-art-a-story-without-words/> [accessed on 12th september 2017] (2006). Cheriyal masks of Telangana [Internet]. <https://www.heartforartonline.com/collections/cherial-masks-of-telangana> [accessed on 11th september 2017]
BOOKS Picture Showmen- insights into the narrative tradition in Indian art. Marg Publications, 1998. The painted scrolls of the Deccani picture showmen: 17th-19th Century - Jagdish Mittal, Pg-56-65.
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