In order to promote tribal art and craft in India, Jindal Foundation has embarked upon a unique social initiative called SwayamShilp. Through this program, a series of workshops will be conducted across India, which will provide artists from the tribal hinterland of the country with a national platform.
SwayamShilp is an effort by the Foundation to revive, promote and preserve the dying art forms practised by the tribal folks in India. We are commencing SwayamShilp with a series of workshops wherein keen art lovers in Delhi and other cities in the country can learn the age-old art and craft of tribal India.
The first initiative as part of SwayamShilp was held in 2015. It was a workshop on Dokra art, as it is the most visible and famous craft from Chhattisgarh. A total of 17 students from the prestigious College of Arts and Triveni Kala Sangam, participated in this workshop, which was jointly organized by the National Crafts Museum, and conducted by the notable Dokra artist from Ektaal village in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh, Mr Purnachanda Pradhan. Mr Pradhan has been engaged in the craft since childhood and was felicitated by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India as Best Artisan in 2009.
In the coming months, SwayamShilp will see a series of workshops being organized in the National Capital as well as other cities on different forms of tribal arts and crafts from across the country. The initiative aims to bring the art and the artists of varied genres together onto the national platform. The workshops will also give the artisans an opportunity to showcase their craft nationally and provide them with a bigger market for their products.
This is but a small step towards promoting tribal arts and crafts and preserving village art that is under threat of extinction. Here’s hoping that this sounds the bugle for the revival of indigenous art in the country!
