Mélange of tribal art

Pics by M.S. Apuurva

Ethnic groups or indigenous peoples of each region around the world, be it the tribals of Western Ghats or that of Amazon forests, have deep-rooted cultures quite distinct from each other and from the urbanites. Similar to their customs, their intangible culture which includes songs, music and handicrafts, dresses and gods too differ. Their expressions, devotions and beliefs are manifest in their art works each of which tell a unique story by itself.
India is host to hundreds of tribes. Though most tribals have been rehabilitated and live in cities forgetting their native culture and adopting the urban one, there are some tribes who refuse to move out of their habitats and continue to nurture their traditions by teaching them to the younger generations and by strictly following them.
Many NGOs and the government departments are trying to protect these traditions and giving them an exposure by conducting workshops, exhibitions etc. Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS) or the Museum of Mankind, under the Union Ministry of Culture, is one such institution which is striving to bring tribal talents to mainstream society.
The Southern Regional Centre of the IGRMS at Wellington House on Irwin Road in Mysore, is doing its part since about 12 years in bringing the tribal artisans and providing them a platform.

As part of this year's International Day of World's Indigenous Peoples (Aug.9), one such workshop has begun in Wellington House since Aug.2 with the participation of about 16 artistes from 10 different States. The workshop will end on Aug.11. The theme of the Day, "Indigenous designs: Celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own future," is being celebrated through this Anantha Yatre-2. The workshop on traditional knowledge systems will also include a three-day cultural programme by tribals from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Andhra, Kerala, Nagaland, tripura, Uttarkhand, Gujarat, Assam etc. on Aug.9, 10 and 11 from 4 pm onwards.
When we visited the venue, artisans were bent over their paintings, riveted to the art to bring perfection.
Tribal paintings
Mandana painting: Paintings by tribals differ in every aspect including the choice of colour, designs and stories. Rajasthan's Omprakash Meena, belonging to Meena tribe, one of the oldest tribal communities, is at Wellington House to create a beautiful Mandana painting. A type of rangoli, the drawing is mainly done by people Malwa, Nimar and Tanwarghar regions on walls and floors of their huts. It is now being done on canvases. To form the base, they smear a paste of red clay and cow dung. The drawings done in white colour in chalk depict images of animals, plants, birds, decorative designs with dots and dashes etc. One of their favourite inspiration is the peacock painted in a variety of styles and shapes. All women of Meena tribe learn this art to beautify their homes.

Lacquerware

Pithora: One of the earliest cave paintings of India dating back to thousands of years, Pithora paintings are prevalent in Rathwa community who live in Gujarat borders and Madhya Pradesh. The Bhils and Bhilala tribes paint the pictures of the lifestyle of the tribals with horses, camels and cattle dominating the pictures. Hunting, ploughing, cooking, drawing water from the well and other acts of domestic life are depicted with bright red, green, yellow colours. The 57-year-old artist Mansingh Thanji from Gujarat's Baroda district says every house in his Malaja village has this traditional wall painting. In the workshop, he has painted gods and stories of animals. One of the paintings of another artist Ramesh Bharia depicts a mongoose, after fighting with a snake, eating a herb for its injuries.
Apart from story-telling, one meaning attached to Pithora is an idea of a map drawn to show the difficult and dangerous terrain of their area and guide the traders. These paintings are also considered sacred and are painted on the walls of the main hall of homes after consulting with local tantriks. The painters are called Lakhadas and completion of a painting is accompanied by singing and dancing. The name is said to have derived from Pithora Baba, the reigning deity of the region.
Colours used in traditional wall painting are derived by mixing plant pigments with milk or liquor obtained from mahua tree. The base is a mixture of cow dung, mud and chalk powder.
The art of Chumbeni Kikon from Nagaland has brought alive the Naga warriors with their typical
Naga painting: Chumbeni Kikon from Nagaland's Kyong tribe has brought alive Naga warriors with their typical attire including dao (sword used both for head-hunting and cutting crops), spear, hornbill feather as embellishment on head gear made of boar's hair etc. She says the tribals never kill a hornbill as they believe that if a male hornbill is killed, the female and their young ones will die of hunger as the male is the food provider for them, indicating the love for wildlife and enivorment concern among the indigenous people. Chumbeni also says in earlier days when head-hunting was prevalent, the hairs of the women who were killed were worn by the hunters from behind as a matter of prestige. She claims there are 17 different Naga warrior tribes including Kyong Naga, Ao, Sumi and Konyak.
Korieng: Rangsel Rongneisong from Manipur's Koireng tribe, who is a skilled Korieng artist, says his art work depicts the day-to-day activities of the tribals including dancing, playing musical instruments, cooking like drums and an indigenous bagpipe, hunting deer etc., apart from preparing a drink by fermenting rice.
Kabui: The art work of Kabui tribe in Manipur includes traditional motifs picturing Kabui rituals during festivals, sun, moon, stars, rainbow etc. A half-drawn art of Gaisingduan Gangmei indicated a moonlight romance between a girl and a boy of the tribe in the midst of nature, showing the approval of natural elements.
The tribal art, mostly in still-life, had a balance and symmetry yet seemingly unsymmetrical which appeals to the creative eye at a second glance with the immense creative imagination of a people who live in forests and are largely uneducated, and thus unswayed by outer world.

Other tribal art work: A walk on the lawn of the Wellington House in pattering rain brought us to artisans engaged in wood work, clay models, embroidery and pottery.
It was a delight to see two aged women from Andhra Pradesh engaged in creating lacquerware delicately on glowing coal. K. Ammalu and K. Sundaramma are adept in melting lacquer, the sealing wax obtained from certain trees, and coating them on wood artifact, creating a variety of designs with thin strips of lacquer directly melting them over the artifact and then delicately forming designs with the help of pin and comb etc.
Dongcha Kom from Manipur is here to demonstrate their style of handloom weaving. Dongcha, who belongs to Kom tribe, says it requires more than a week to weave a three-metre long cloth and the embroidery is very difficult as each line has to be measured before stitching.
R. Chikkasiddaiah from Kollegal, who is creating bamboo artifacts, says he was left in the lurch after the sugar factory he was working in closed down in 2006. With no other option, he took to his ancestral art after receiving training in bamboo art work at the 'Bidiru Siri' workshop and was encouraged by the then Hunsur DCF Vijaykumar. Then he started making various artifacts using bamboo. Today, this 55-year-old artisan from Medar tribe is good at making pen stand, puja basket, flower vase, lamp shades, bouquets, pen holders, hair clips etc.



Other artisans at the workshop include Ram Kumar Shyam and Santhosh Parasathe from Madhya Pradesh engaged in wood work, Rajeshwari and Babyamma from Ooty creating terracotta artifacts, Bujjiamma and Mangamma who do Lambadi art on clothes etc.
IGRMS Southern Regional Centre In-charge Officer J. Vijay Mohan says all the works of the tribals participating in the workshop will be displayed at Wellington House on August 9. The public can also visit the workshop from 10.30 am to 5.30 pm.
The melange of art work and artifacts leave the visitor enchanted in a world of colours and nativeness which bring to mind the value of indigenous culture and tradition and the necessity of protecting it.

YAKSHAGANA BRINGS MYTHOLOGY ALIVE

Jayaram Bhat

Long ago, before the invention of silver screen and small screen, the townsfolk derived entertainment from dramas staged by artistes on stage. The lives of villagers were filled with work from morning till evening and at nights, they listened to gamaka vachanas, recitals of Mahabharatha and Ramayana and various folk art forms.
Yakshagana ruled the summer nights where the whole village — young, old and womenfolk — squatted on the ground through the night to watch yakshagana, being performed mostly by amateurs of the village and sometimes by professionals. Yakshagana is still the most favourite art form and pastime for the coastal people, with many families arranging yakshagana bayalatas during family functions for the entertainment of the relatives and as vows, which has become a tradition.
Forms of yakshagana
Yakshagana forms vary in different regions across the State. There is the Moodalapaya staged in some areas of Hassan, Mandya, Mysore, Tumkur, Chitradurga and Uttara Kannada and the Paduvalapaya staged in western and northern parts of Kerala, Dakshina Kannada, Kasargod, Udupi and also in Uttara Kannada. Paduvalapaya yakshagana has the well-known Tenkuthittu and Badaguthittu apart from Uttara Kannadathittu.
Once considered a common man's art form by the scholars, yakshagana has now enraptured people from all walks of life. It is the only art form which has retained its traditionality in the matter of dresses and story-line. Apart from a few experiments, it has also clung to mythological stories and epics, depicting them through the navarasa expressions including anger, serenity, courage, romance, terror, comedy etc.
Temples have been the cultural and religious centres of the land and thus, most yaksha-gana troupes have been patronised and carry the name of famous temples. The 400-year-old yakshagana art, which was earlier limited to Karnataka and was staged in Kannada and Tulu, has now spread its wings beyond the State and country with the art being staged even in America.
The Karavali Yakshagana Kendra of Mysore, which was started by yakshagana enthusiasts Dha-nanjay and Purushotham Gowda in 2008, has been doing yeoman service to yakshagana field by teaching the two most evolved forms of the art — Tenkuthittu and Badaguthittu. At present, about 30 persons are learning the art under the aegis of the Kendra at Vishwamanava Vidyaniketana in Ramakrishnanagar in city. Asked about the difference between the Paduvalapaya and Moodalapaya forms, Dhananjay said the latter was still in its unevolved folk state whereas the former has seen many experimentations.
The Kendra had organised a blend of Moodalapaya and Tenkuthittu yakshagana shows on Aug.21 at Veene Seshanna Bhavan in Kuvempunagar as part of Sri Krishna Janmashtami. It was sponsored by Late GTN and Late Shikaripura Harihareshwara Samsmarana Samithi, Bhasange Balaga and the family of GTN. Artistes of Sri Hemambika Yakshagana Kala Sangha, Hosa Hemmige, T. Narasipur taluk and Sri Mahaganapathi Yakshagana Mandali of Nidle, DK district, staged three shows — Sri Krishna Tulabhara, Airavatha and Raktaratri on the day.
S. Ramakrishnaiah Siribaagilu was the Bhagavatha for Sri Krishna Tulabhara. Ambemoole Govinda Bhat is the poet. Renowned yakshagana artiste Kumble Sridhar Rao (Sri Krishna), Ambaprasad (Satyabhama), Vasanthagowda (Devendra), Balakrishna Maniyani (Narada), Gangadhara Puttur (Rukmini) and others formed the cast. The story tells of the pride of Krishna's wife Satyabhama and the humility of Rukmini.
The story of King of Gods Indra's elephant Airavatha (Poet: Dr.P.K. Rajashekar) was presented by the artistes later. H.C. Chowdaiah was the Bhagavatha. Artistes Boraiah (Dharmaraya), Maneya (Bhima), Chikkachowdanayaka (Arjuna), Rama Shetty (Kunti) and others were in the lead.
The last show was the story Raktaratri (Poet: Balipa Narayana Bhagavatha). S. Ramakrishna Mayya Siribagilu. Kumble Sridhar Rao as Sri Krishna, Vasantha Gowda as Arjuna and Nidle Govinda Bhat as Bheema captivated the audience.
Costumes
Costume in yakshagana is rich in colour and includes heavy make-up. Each character's costume depends on the story or prasanga. It also depends on yakshagana style or thittu.
Badaguthittu ornaments are made out of light wood, mirror work, coloured stones. Lighter materials like thermocol are used nowadays.
Typical yakshagana costumes consist of a head-gear (Kirita or Pagade), Kavacha that decorates chest, Bhuja Keerthi (armlets) that decorate shoulders, and belts (Dabu) all made up of light wood and covered with golden foil.
Mirror works on these ornaments help to reflect light during show and adds more color to costumes. These armaments are worn on a vest and cover upper half of the body. Lower half is covered with Kachche that comes in a unique combination of red, yellow and orange checks. Bulky pads (cloth) are used under Kachche.
Bannada Vesha that involves detailed facial makeup is used to depict monsters. It may take 3 to 4 hours to complete make-up for certain character. Sthreevesha differs in the use of saree and other decorative ornaments.
Earlier, women's roles in drama and yakshagana were mostly played by men. Though this trend decreased in dramas and women themselves started donning the role of women characters, it is still prevalent in yakshagana as can be seen by the portrayal of Rukmini and Draupadi by Gangadhar Puttur, Kunti by Rama Shetty etc.
Unlike many folk and traditional art forms which are waning with the onslaught of modern forms of entertainment, Yakshagana is being increasingly patronised by the public for its uniqueness and strong artistry.

AN EVENTFUL MUSICAL JOURNEY

It is said that music is meditation. And meditation needs perseverance. Such perseverance in the field of the lesser-known music therapy has taken Dr. Padma Murthy, senior disciple of great composer Padma Bhushan Mysore K. Vasudevachar, on to a long and eventful musical journey.
Hailing from a music family, Padma Murthy was born in 1932 to Jayalakshmi and T.S. Rajagopal Iyengar, freedom fighter, educationist, Supreme Court advocate and art patron of Mysore. Popularly known as Mysore R. Padma, she gave her first concert at the age of eight in 1940 in Mysore with the great maestro T. Chowdaiah on violin and was hailed as a 'child prodigy.'
Padma was guided in research by Dr. H.N. Murthy, HoD of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS and Prof. Dr. A.V. Shanmugam, HoD of Communication, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. She was the first person to get a Ph.D in Psychology in Music. She was also the first musician to popularise Kannada Devaranamas in 1945-46 through Columbia Gramophone records. An artiste of Akashavani and Doordarshan, she has trained thousands of students both in classical and light music.
Dr. Padma also has a Doctoral Degree in Musicology from the US and Doctor of Education from Belgium. She was trained in Hindustani Music by Palace Vidushi Nagamma and in Veena by Vid. R.S. Keshavamurthy.
A Member of the Expert Committee of Madras Music Academy, Padma has been associated with more than 35 Universities, guided doctoral research work, written numerous articles and 10 books on music including text books for the University and Vidwat exams, brought out music albums including playing Veena in Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan-Bangalore. She made a guest appearance as a music teacher in film Malaya Marutha.
Well-travelled, she has represented India in seven International Music Therapy Conferences held at USA (Chicago, Atlanta, California and Dallas), Italy, Germany and Netherlands. Accompanied on violin by her Defense Officer (Retd.) husband Wing Commander Vidwan T.S. Murthy, she has given music concerts at London, Switzerland, Australia and USA.
At present, she is continuing music therapy research at Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Ashram. Here Dr. Padma Murthy travels on a short journey of her life in music:
Shwetha: Can you recount your doctoral journey in music ?
Dr. Padma: In 1972, I was in Kanpur with my husband who was serving in Air Force. There was no South Indian music in North India then. So I had to give up music for about 30 years. Then somebody suggested me to take up psychology and my husband brought me books. At first I thought it was quite difficult but then decided to take it up as a challenge. At that time, I never thought I would combine Psychology and Music.
Prof. Nikam, who was the VC at the University then, gave permission to take up Psychology. But the timings were difficult and I had to study hard apart from looking after my husband and children. I passed the first year. At that time, military personnel were transferred every two to three months and it was difficult to keep up. A Professor from Aligarh University who had come to supervise the exams, called me after the practical exams and said I had good capacity to learn and should meet Dr. Parameshwaran in Hyderabad. When I went to Hyderabad, Dr. Parameshwaran straight away offered me a lecturer's post. I refused saying I just wanted to study. But this attempt too failed as my husband was transferred again.
Then I decided to return to Karnataka and here, I met Dr. R.M. Varma, the then Director of NIMHANS. To conduct research in music therapy, I myself had to set up the lab and establish all facilities as it was a new area. I got a Fellowship from the Govt. of India to do a Doctorate in Psychology and Music therapy for eight years. Rallapalli Anantha Krishna Sharma was my guide. I became the first person to get a doctorate in Psychology in Music from Bangalore University.
When I got the doctorate, many people mocked at me saying that I should have remained just a musician. They said there was no use of doing research in music and nothing useful comes out of music. It was at that time that BVK Shastri (renowned music critic) encouraged me.
Earlier, the University did not register Psychology in Music as a Ph.D subject and the students taking it up would be made to run from Psychology Department to Music Department and vice-versa. A similar incident happened to another girl who had taken up 'Reincarnation' which came under Philosophy. Then we changed the terminology to 'Karnatak music in a scientific approach.'

Shwetha: How did legendary violin maestro T. Chowdaiah influence you?
Dr. Padma: I was familiar with Chowdaiah since childhood. I performed with him and T.M. Puttaswamaiah at the young age of 8. He encouraged me so much that he remained subdued during concerts and gave me a platform. His stature was great in music as well as humility. One day he just arrived at my home with a veena and gave it to me. His was such a simple heart. He never made me feel inexperienced and young while giving concerts with him.

Shwetha: Tell us about Music Therapy.
Dr. Padma: In music therapy, music is mainly used to get solace from pain and disease. The two parameters considered are anxiety and depression. NIMHANS conducted a study in this regard with Central Sangeeth Natak Academy — as to what type of music can be used for which type of depression.
We use sound in various combinations and swaras suitable for a person. He or she should be able to communicate with the psychiatrist. Apart from music, the therapists also use other methods like Siddi, Mani Nak-shatra, Horoscope etc. Not all musicians can conduct music therapy. Every cure should be credible and accepted by the scientific community and this will happen only when experimental results match. For example, when a music therapy experiment is conducted both in Germany and India, both results should match. There is a Music Therapy course in America just like a doctor's degree. They have to study Physiology, Anatomy, Psychiatry etc. apart from music and they are employed in hospitals. In Psychology, they have to know about a patient's mental status. They have to study if the patient can understand, communicate or respond and then decide which type of music can be used for therapy.

Shwetha: How do the therapists decide which type of music should be rendered to patients?
Dr. Padma: There are certain criteria to decide it. A patient comes to us only after their psychiatrist sends them. Before releasing medicines like Penicillin to the market, they conduct many experiments; but the same cannot be done in music. Each type of music and a person's reaction to it varies. For example, a person can listen to one kind of music at one time and undergo mental changes; for example, they may remember something suddenly. They conduct such a therapy in foreign countries.
In the Sangeeth Natak Academy, Bangalore, we took eight patients and selected Kalyani raga (in Hindustani, Yaman raga). We tried to evoke response from the patients — how do they react to the raga and if they do react like normal people, how do they communicate about it? If I ask how did you like a raga, you may give varied responses — it was pleasant or that you didn't like it or it was harsh etc.
But a mentally ill patient cannot communicate like that. They cannot tell what happens to them when they listen to it. So we prepare a questionnaire. What we found later is that Kalyani raga brings solace and the patients demanded it more.
Some NGOs like Asha Niketan in Bangalore bring slum kids to their institute, bathe them, change their dresses to uniforms and teach them. There we started teaching them music, beginning with National Anthem and Kannada songs. They learnt them enthusiastically and performed in some public platforms. As they were physically challenged, it was difficult to teach other physical activities like dancing, but anybody can learn music and this gave them confidence. Some of them can't communicate and feel bad because they can't; some are not accessible to psychiatrists as they go into stupor. Music helps such persons as when everybody sings in front of them, after some time they too come out of their stupor and start singing. Here the skill of a therapist is very important.
When I was in Tirupati, I saw a news item which stated that Ananda Bhairvai raga cures stomach-ache. An attendant who read this, came and asked me: "Madam, they say Ananda Bhairavi cures stomach-ache. Please give some of that raga." I asked him, "What do you want in that raga? Do you want the kruthi, varna, raga, scale, swaragathi?" To this he replied, "Madam, I don’t know what that is, just give me that raga." He had absolutely no idea that Ananda Bhairavi was a raga in music and not a medicine. Such is the knowledge of commoners and it is our duty to enlighten them.

Shwetha: What about your experiments in the field?
Dr. Padma: I have carried out many experiments on Psychology in Music. I did an experimental study on II BA girl students in the age group of 20-22 years in Maharani's College about their psychological changes and inclination towards music.
In 1984, I attended Music Therapy Conference in Delhi in which 3,000 delegates from 34 countries took part. They asked me to conduct a test on the subject. About 40 doctors, psychologists, musicologists and others took part. I am happy to say that I got 92% match in the results. The delegates were so happy that they carried the experiment and result to their country.

Shwetha: How did you meet Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji?
Dr. Padma: During 1991, I met the Swamiji in Bangalore. His concert was arranged in Chowdaiah Memorial Hall and mine was in Saraswathi Gana Sabha on the same day. The Swamiji who heard about my programme, said, "Let her come and perform with me." Thus began my association with the Ashram and the Swamiji’s music therapy programmes.