Painting a New Story: Sohrai Art in Jharkhand
This article highlights the resurgence traditional Indian art forms of Sohrai and Khovar, and the women who practice them. It discusses how increased demand for these unique paintings and murals in government buildings is bringing back awareness for this art form that was almost lost. Sohrai and Khovar are the unique ancient art forms from Jharkhand. They are ritualistic paintings done for the harvest festival that takes place around the popular Hindu holiday, Diwali. The paintings are only created by women, which makes them so unique. This resurgence of Sohrai brings about a larger issue; that of indigenous art and culture, and the importance of preserving them. The article discusses how taking this art form and giving it a larger platform by showcasing it in big cities brought some prosperity to the women who practice it. It also has helped by validating their identities, because they are so deeply routed in this art form.
The sources used in this article mostly come tweets or other articles that are interviews about how people feel about this topic. It shows what real people in the communities of India are feeling and talking about. It also links to some Wikipedia pages on specific cities in India and the various art forms.
Works Cited:
Anand, Alankrita. “Painting a New Story: Sohrai Art in Jharkhand · Global Voices.” Global Voices, Global Voices, 8 Dec. 2017, globalvoices.org/2017/12/08/painting-a-new-story-sohrai-art-in-jharkhand/.
Photo source: Buluimam. “Tribal Art of Hazaribagh.” Tribal Women Artists Cooperative (TWAC), Blogger, 30 Aug. 2014, tribalartofhazaribagh.blogspot.com/2014/08/tribal-women-artists-cooperative.html.