Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, as part of the celebrations of International Day for World’s Indigenous People, organised a colloquium on ‘Stories preserved in Tribal Art’. In the colloquium artisans from various tribes and communities of India participated. It was chaired by Prof Sarit Kumar Chaudhuri, Director, IGRMS. He explained carved-in craft on wood of the north-eastern states and explained the inter-tribal relation of art.
In the beginning of the programme, museum’s Director and other senior officials, honoured tribal artist by Bhuri Bai, Ram Singh, Venkat Singh Shyam, Bhajju Singh Shyam, Gangu Bai, Subhash Amliar and Sher Singh by giving them bouquets.
later, Assistant Curator (Display) of the museum, Anand Tehanguria the purpose of the program and role of tribal artistes in preserving culture and briefly explained that the Gond and Bhil tribe life is surrounded by myths which they complying with, the more impressive is the visual form of myths.
Then the artists explained the myths behind their best paintings. Bhuri Bhai Bhil told that her mother starting teaching her art on mud at the tender age of 12 years, later she started to paint it on canvas and presented the Bhil education mythological stories through her paintings in all over the country.
After that Gond painter Ram Singh Urveti inculcated the art taught by Jangadh Singh Shyam and presented Maanta Devta, Bada Dev and Budi Mai’s love story of Ganja (Black-Kol boy) and Mahua (lal-Brahman Girl.
On this occasion, Shyam Venkat Singh narrated the struggle story of introducing Gond painting at international level. Eminent Gond painter Bhajju Singh Shyam shifted to Bhopal from Patangarh in 1986 at the age of sixteen years and began working under legendary artist Mr. Jangadh Singh Shyam. He explained the evolution of Earth, flora and fauna through Dhigna paintings.