The women who paint Jharkhand: Sohrai-Khovar’s journey from harvest ritual to global gallery

Soh ai-Khova ,
a
a cie t
wome -led
a t
t aditio
f om
Jha kha d
(Image:
TWAC)

A
local
a tisa
c ouches
by
he
doo step,
he
ha ds
stai ed
with
mud
a d
colou
d aw
st aight
f om
the
ea th
a ou d
he .
The
wa mth
of
ust
ed,
the
hush
of
chalky
white,
the
depth
of
a
black
go e
ea ly
cha coal.
With
othi g
mo e
tha
a
b oke
comb
a d
a
steady
ha d,
she
d aws
a
peacock
o
a
wall
still
damp
f om
its
coati g
of
clay.
I
a
few
hou s,
this
wall,
like
thousa ds
of
othe s
ac oss
Haza ibagh,
will
ca y
the
sto y
of
the
la d
of
Jha kha d,
a
mu al
to
its
beauty.Soh ai
a d
Khova
pai ti gs
a e
a
u ique
a d
t ibal
style
of
a t
o igi ati g
f om
caves
of
Jha kha d.
I
1991,
celeb ated
a d
e ow ed
e vi o me talist
Bulu
Imam
docume ted
ock
shelte s
i
the
Isco
hills
of
Haza ibagh
dist ict
a d
oticed
that
the
motifs
o
the
a cie t
cave
walls
closely
esembled
the
pai ti gs
still
bei g
made
o
village
homes
ea byImam
was
able
to
sketch
out
a
co ectio
betwee
the
21st
ce tu y
walls
of
a
home
to
the
Mesolithic
a d
Chalcolithic
caves
of
10,000
to
5,000
BCE.
Othe
esea che s,
citi g
the
A chaeological
Su vey
of
I dia,
place
the
ock
a t
close
to
7,000-4,000
BCE,
i
the
Paleolithic
pe iod.The
dates
might
be
co tested
but
what
emai s
t ue
is
that
Soh ai
a d
Khova
pai ti g
ep ese t
o e
of
the
lo gest
co ti uously
p acticed
visual
a t
t aditio s
o
the
subco ti e t,
a
li e
u i g
f om
cave
wall
to
mud
wall
ac oss
seve al
thousa d
yea s.

What
is
Soh ai-Khova ?

Ga ju
Soh ai
pai ted
house
(Sou ce:
TWAC)

Soh ai
was
o igi ally
a
seaso
specific
c aft
style
pai ted
a ou d
the
ha vest
festival
of
the
same
ame,
celeb ated
afte
Diwali
i
the
mo th
of
Ka tik,
whe
households
give
tha ks
to
thei
cattle
a d
to
the
la d.

I side
of
a
Khova
oom
(Sou ce:
TWAC)

Khova ,
the
wo d
d aws
f om
“kho,”
mea i g
cave,
a d
“va ,”
mea i g
g oom,
is
pai ted
fo
weddi gs,
deco ati g
the
oom
whe e
a
ewly
ma ied
couple
will
spe d
thei
fi st
ights
togethe .Both
styles
of
a t
a e
made
almost
exclusively
by
wome .
Eve
its
he itage
t aci g
follows
mat ili eal
successio ,
passed
dow
f om
mothe s
to
daughte s.
T aditio ally
it
is
classified
as
a
Ma-Beti
Pa ampa a,
with
tech iques
passed
dow
o ally
athe
tha
w itte
dow .

F om
mud
walls
to
ai po t
te mi als

Sa jeev
Kuma
(IFS),
p i cipal
chief
co se vato
of
fo ests
a d
head
of
fo est
fo ce
fo
Jha kha d,
has
spe t
much
of
his
ca ee
wo ki g
alo gside
these
villages.
He
offe s
a
st uctu al
expla atio
fo
why
this
a t
fo m
became
a
livelihood
tool
i
the
fi st
place,
athe
tha
stayi g
pu ely
ce emo ial.Jha kha d’s
u al
eco omy
u s
la gely
o
two
c op
cycles
a
yea ,
he
poi ts
out,
which
leaves
lo g
st etches
whe
wome
i
fa mi g
households
have
little
steady
wo k.
Betwee
the
sowi g
a d
the
ha vest,
the e
is
a
ki d
of
e fo ced
pause
—
a d
i
that
pause,
a
e ti e
catego y
of
household
i come
simply
goes
quiet.Pai ti g,
o ce
co fi ed
st ictly
to
festival
a d
weddi g
seaso s,
has
i c easi gly
moved
to
fill
exactly
that
gap,
givi g
wome
a
way
to
keep
ea i g
i
the
mo ths
the
la d
itself
has
othi g
to
offe .It
is ‘t
o ly
about
i come,
i
Kuma ‘s
telli g.
Sta ti g
i
2007,
as
Divisio al
Fo est
Office
i
Dha bad,
he
bega
o ga isi g
folk
a t
camps
to
give
Soh ai
a
wide
audie ce,
d awi g
pa ticipa ts
f om
ac oss
I dia
a d
as
fa
as
Aust alia
a d
Ba gladesh.
The
camps
followed
him
th ough
late
posti gs
—
Jamshedpu ,
Haza ibagh,
a d
beyo d
—
u i g
u til
the
pa demic
fo ced
them
o li e,
the
esumi g
afte .
The
same
wome
who
might
o ce
have
sat
out
the
off-seaso
a e
ow,
th ough
this
ecosystem,
t ai i g
elatives,
egotiati g
with
buye s,
a d
t avelli g
to
exhibitio s.
Kuma
also
f ames
the
wo k
as
ce t al
to
the
state’s
eco-tou ism
ambitio s.

Soh ai-Khova
fi ally
eceived
Geog aphical
I dicatio
status
i
May
2020,
epo tedly
app oved
i
u de
i e
mo ths,
u usually
fast
fo
a
p ocess
that
typically
takes
two
to
th ee
yea s.
The
tag,
g a ted
by
the
Geog aphical
I dicatio
Regist y
i
Che ai,
fo mally
ecog ises
the
a t
as
u ique
to
the
Haza ibagh
egio ,
a d
gave
it
a
ma keti g
foothold
it
had ‘t
had
befo e.The
state
took
the
ecog itio
fu the .
Haza ibagh
became
the
fi st
dist ict
i
Jha kha d
to
commit
to
pai ti g
all
its
gove me t
buildi gs
with
Soh ai
motifs
—
the
chief
mi iste ‘s
eside ce,
the
state
sec eta iat,
Ra chi’s
Bi sa
Mu da
Ai po t,
ailway
statio s
ac oss
Ra chi,
Dha bad,
Boka o,
a d
Tata
Naga
all
ow
ca y
the
same
ed-black-white
la guage
o ce
fou d
o ly
o
village
walls.
The
a t
has
t avelled
fu the
still:
P ime
Mi iste

Modi
is
epo ted
to
have
gifted
a
Soh ai
pai ti g
to
P eside t
Puti ,
a
livelihood
p oject
tu ed,
howeve
b iefly,
i to
a
i st ume t
of
diplomacy.

Pai ti g
gifted
to
Russia
P eside t
Puti
by
PM
Modi

That
visibility
has
t a slated
i to
eal,
t aceable
livelihoods,
i
at
least
some
cases.
Local
o ga ise s
co ecti g
a tists
to
buye s
epo t
doze s
of
wome
di ectly
employed
th ough
thei
etwo ks,
hu d eds
mo e
ea i g
suppleme tal
i come
i
seaso .
Coope atives
built
specifically
to
give
village
wome
a
alte ative
to
fa m
labou
have
ca ied
this
wo k
to
doze s
of
i te atio al
exhibitio s
ac oss
Eu ope
a d
the
US,
a d
i c easi gly
Ca ada,
South
Af ica,
a d
Japa .
T usts
have
go e
fu the
still
—
t ai i g
p og ammes,
small
museums,
f ee
pigme t,
a d
the
pape wo k
that
eve tually
secu ed
the
GI
tag
itself.

Te sio s
su ou di g
the
c aft

Not
eve yo e
close
to
this
histo y
ag ees
the
shift
towa d
livelihood
has
bee
a
clea
wi .
Gustav
Imam
d aws
a
disti ctio
betwee
his
fathe ‘s
o igi al
visio
a d
the
state’s
cu e t
o e.
Bulu
Imam
t eated
Soh ai
as
fi e
a t
f om
the
sta t
—
buildi g
a
exhibitio
ci cuit
that
a
shows
i
Aust alia
a d
Eu ope.
The
gove me t’s
livelihood
f ami g,
Gustav
a gues,
isks
somethi g
a owe :
pay
a
a tist
pe
piece
fo
a
p oduct
a d
you’ve
quietly
co ve ted
he
i to
daily-wage
labou
athe
tha
t eati g
he
as
a
a tist.
He
is ‘t
agai st
comme cialisatio
itself;
he
simply
thi ks
dig ity
has
to
come
fi st,
a d
that
dig ity
equi es
ecog itio
at
the
ve y
top
of
the
field,
ot
just
i come
at
the
bottom.
T aditio s
like
Madhuba i,
Wa li,
a d
Go d
pai ti g
have
each
p oduced
atio ally
awa ded
a tists,
Padma
Sh i
ecipie ts
amo g
them;
Soh ai-Khova
has
ot,
despite
wome
keepi g
the
t aditio
alive
th ough
eal
st uggle
a d
eal
limitatio .
U til
a
ha dful
of
i dividual
a tists
eceive
that
ki d
of
ecog itio ,
he
a gues,
you ge
pai te s
have
o
o e
co c ete
to
aspi e
to
become.

Ga gwa’s
Lotus
–
a chival
a t
(Sou ce:
TWAC)

He
also
offe s
a
blu t
estimate
o
the
schemes
mea t
to
help:
of
the
a tisa s
mea t
to
be efit
f om
gove me t
po tals
a d
i itiatives
like
Mud a
loa s,
pe haps
5
to
10
pe ce t
actually
do,
la gely
because
ma y
a e
semi-lite ate
a d
simply
ca ‘t
avigate
the
egist atio
p ocess.
The
est,
i
his
accou t,
emai
outside
the
system
e ti ely,
ot
excluded
by
desig ,
but
by
a
bu eauc acy
that
was
eve
built
with
them
i
mi d.Coal
mi i g
is
ofte
folded
i to
this
sto y
as
a
si gle,
simple
th eat,
but
the
pictu e
splits
i
two
o ce
you
look
closely.
The
Isco
ock
a t
site
itself,
the
discove y
that
sta ted
eve ythi g,
has
ot
bee
dest oyed.
Dust
f om
ea by
mi es
has
c ept
close
a d
settled
o
it,
but
the
site
was
decla ed
a
atio al
mo ume t
a ou d
2023.
Othe
ock
a t
caves
i
the
egio ,
mo e
tha
a
doze
ow
ide tified,
emai
safe
la gely
because,
i
his
wo ds,
o
o e
k ows
about
them,
obscu ity
sta di g
i
fo
co se vatio .

Pashupati
by
Ku ti
Devi
(Sou ce:
TWAC)

The
villages
a e
a
diffe e t
sto y.
The
No th
Ka a pu a
coalfield
sits
be eath
a
la ge
umbe
of
t ibal
villages
ac oss
Haza ibagh,
Ramga h,
a d
Chat a,
a d
coal
p ojects
i
the
a ea
have
displaced
multiple
villages
ove
the
yea s,
acqui i g
sig ifica t
st etches
of
ag icultu al
la d
i
the
p ocess.
Reside ts
who’ve
lost
la d
desc ibe
ebuildi g
elsewhe e,
ofte
some
dista ce
f om
whe e
thei
families
had
always
lived;
local
activists
wa
that
fu the
mi i g
could
displace
still
mo e.
Bulu
Imam’s
decades
of
oppositio
—
i tellectual
athe
tha
co f o tatio al,
built
o
lette s
to
officials
athe
tha
p otest,
wo k
that
ea ed
him
the
Ga dhi
I te atio al
Peace
Awa d
i
2012
—
was
eve
eally
about
the
ock
a t
su vivi g.
It
was
about
whethe
the
people
who
kept
pai ti g
a ou d
it
would
get
to
stay.The e
is
a othe
complicatio
that
has
othi g
to
do
with
mi i g.
Si ce
2018–19,
a
ce t al
housi g
scheme,
the
P adha
Ma t i
G ami
Awas
Yoja a,
has
eplaced
mud-a d-thatch
homes
ac oss
u al
I dia
with
b ick
a d
ceme t
—
a
ge ui e
welfa e
imp oveme t.
But
Soh ai
a d
Khova
a e
pai ted
o
mud,
a d
the
same
pigme ts
do ‘t
take
to
ceme t
the
same
way.
O e
a m
of
gove me t
is
quietly
emovi g
the
ca vas
that
a othe
a m
is
simulta eously
celeb ati g,
ot
th ough
malice,
but
th ough
two
policies
that
we e
eve
built
with
each
othe
i
mi d.

A
seat
at
the
table
fo
i dige ous
a t

The
most
impo ta t
complicatio
was
hi ted
at
ea lie .
The
ma ket
fo
Soh ai-Khova
emai s
thi ,
p ices
stay
low
elative
to
the
labou
i volved,
a d
o
fixed
floo
p ice
exists
to
stop
buye s
f om
talki g
a tists
dow .
Imam
suggests
that
the
dist ict
admi ist atio
co side
setti g
a
sta da d
p ici g
fo
the
a t
to
battle
some
aspects
of
the
issue.The
p oposed
fix,
i
Gustav’s
telli g,
is ‘t
mo e
schemes.
It’s
status.
He
poi ts
to
what
happe s
whe
a
piece
la ds
somewhe e
with
eal
i stitutio al
weight
—
a
Soh ai
pai ti g,
sold
to
the
Ame ica
ambassado
du i g
a
visit
to
Kolkata,
ow
ha gs
i
a
p omi e t
hall
at
the
US
co sulate.Co tempo a y
I dia
a t
by
amed
pai te s
outi ely
sells
fo
c o es;
i dige ous
a t
too
dese ves
a
seat
at
that
table.
A
t aditio
this
old
su vives
ot
just
o
i come,
but
o
bei g
take
se iously
by
the
people
who
could
othe wise
walk
past
it
without
a
seco d
look.

Exhibitio
i
Rome,
2008
(TWAC)

The
a tisa
fi ishes
he
peacock
as
the
light
sta ts
to
fade.
Somewhe e
else
i
Haza ibagh,
a othe
woma
is
doi g
the
same.
He
ed
may
o
lo ge
come
f om
soil
gathe ed
by
ha d,
but
f om
a
tube
of
pai t
bought
at
the
ma ket.
The
image
o
the
wall
is
still
ecog isably
Soh ai.

Fo
thousa ds
of
yea s,
the
a t
has
adapted
to
cha gi g
walls,
cha gi g
mate ials
a d
cha gi g
lives.
But
p ese vi g
it
may
equi e
mo e
tha
putti g
its
motifs
o
gove me t
buildi gs
o
selli g
its
pai ti gs
to
ew
ma kets.
It
may
mea
p ese vi g
the
wome
who
make
it,
the
homes
they
pai t
a d
the
commu ities
that
taught
them
how.The
pai ti gs
bega
o
cave
walls,
moved
to
mud
homes
a d
have
ow
t avelled
to
ai po ts,
exhibitio s
a d
diplomatic
gifts.
What
happe s
ext
will
depe d
o
whethe
Soh ai-Khova
is
t eated
simply
as
a
p oduct
to
be
sold
—
o
as
a
livi g
t aditio
whose
value
lies
i
the
people
who
keep
pai ti g
it.

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