During his ongoing foreign visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi demonstrated a significant emphasis on promoting tribal art and culture by presenting numerous gifts to international leaders. These gifts prominently featured exquisite artwork and craftsmanship representing different regions of the country.
PM Modi presented ‘Dokra art’ to Australia
Dokra art is one of India’s prehistoric art forms. One of the earliest expressions of this ancient art is the dancing girl artefact found in Mohenjo-Daro and Harappan excavations.
The common themes of Dokra art revolve around figurines of Hindu gods and goddesses and different animals. This particular art piece is crafted by artisans from Chattisgarh
PM Modi also gifted ‘Dokra Art’ to Brazil, Cook Islands, Tonga.
PM Modi gifted Gond paintings to Canada, Tuvalu
Gond paintings are considered one of the most admired tribal art forms. The word ‘Gond’ comes from the expression ‘Kond’ which means ‘green mountain’.
These paintings, created by dots and lines, have been a part of pictorial art on walls and floors of Gonds and it is done with the construction and re-construction of each and every house, with locally available natural colours and materials like charcoal, coloured soil, plant sap, leaves, cow dung, limestone powder, etc.
PM Modi gifted the ‘Warli paintings’ to Comoros
‘Warli Painting’, from the Chhota Udaipur region of Gujarat, illustrates the exuberant celebration of the meeting of the earth and the sky. This is achieved through the judicious use of the rustic mud brown of the wall and the white of the rice paste.
The paintings were originally depicted as murals on kitchen hearths in Warli homes.
PM Modi gifted the Pithora folk art to Niue
A ‘Pithora’ is a ritualistic tribal folk art by the Rathwa artisans from Chhota Udaipur in Gujarat. It is considered a living testament to an ever-changing ethos exemplifying the highly enriched folk and tribal art culture of Gujarat. These paintings are depictions of the cave paintings that tribals used to make reflecting the social, and cultural life and beliefs of those tribals.