Santhali Sohrai murals: An etch in time

What is the News?

Santhali communities of Odisha and Jharkhand are changing their ways of painting traditional Sohrai murals to modernity.

What is Sohrai?

Sohrai is a harvest festival of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal. 

It is also called the cattle festival. It is celebrated after harvest and coincides with the festival of Diwali. It is celebrated by Prajapati, Santal, Munda and Oraons among others.

What is Sohrai Art Form?

Sohrai painting is an indigenous art form practised by tribal women in the Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand.

The paintings are done on mud walls to welcome the harvest and to celebrate the cattle. The women clean their houses and decorate their walls with murals of Sohrai arts.

This art form has continued since 10,000-4,000 BC. It was prevalent mostly in caves, but shifted to houses with mud walls.

Note: Sohrai Khovar painting received the Geographical Indication(GI) tag in 2020.

Key Features of Sohrai Art Form

The Sohrai art form can be monochromatic or colourful. The people coat the wall with a layer of white mud, and while the layer is still wet, they draw with their fingertips on it.

Their designs range from flowers and fruits to various other nature-inspired designs. The cow dung that was earlier used to cake the walls of the house is used to add colour.

The artists are spontaneous in their drawings. The designs are usually drawn from the artist’s memory. The personal experience of the artist and their interaction with nature are the biggest influence.

Source: This post is based on the article “Santhali Sohrai murals: An etch in time” published in Down To Earth on 11th Mar 2022.