Cheriyal chronicles

Representation pic

The town of Cheriyal in Warangal district, Telangana, widely came to be known for a unique art form called nakashi art. Its motifs, which contained the colour red predominantly, were often painted in the bright colour in order to be visible from a distance, and were narratives as well - those which told stories. They did so by depicting scenes from village life.

To celebrate this art form, a painting workshop will be held today, conducted by artist Saikiran Varma Dhanalakota. Dhanalakota shares, "Cheriyal art was considered crucial for socio-cultural development across many villages in ancient and medieval India. These paintings became the go-to art when it came to introducing people to myths and legends, and throwing light on social issues."

Kartik Gaggar, CEO, The Circle Community, organisers of the workshop, says, "The paintings use strong, specific colours. We want to draw people away from more mainstream forms of entertainment, and introduce them to such art forms. Nakashi art is rich and detailed, and making such art is time-consuming."

Participants can carry handmade or other paper sheets or canvas cloth to paint. The nakashi themes are traditionally created on scrolls, which accompanied a village's community of balladeers, who rolled out the scrolls as they performed.

The art form, known to depict common rural and religious scenes such as farming, cow-milking, local women carrying fish and mythological Gods such as Krishna and Ganesh, and Krishna and female accomplices, is often the work of local artists. Cheriyal is one of the last places where the artworks can be found and even personal objects such as key chains and pencil holders showcase these Cheriyal motifs in a bid to keep the art form alive.

On: October 8, 5 pm
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