Pithora painted on a wall inside the house by Mannsighbhai.
Mannsinghbhai Rathva, 65 years old Pithora painter and farmer from the Ganthiya village in Chhota Udepur, was walking back home in scorching heat at 3 in the afternoon after working on his farm. “I only have half an acre of land in my name, I have to work as a laborer too. It’s a compulsion, what to do? I have to feed my family somehow. The government provides no relief to painters,” he said. There was a fresh yield of corn kept inside his house, situated on a hill.
"The produce is not as good as it should be because of unfavorable weather," he stated. “I don’t have a tractor or anything. There are a few in the village, and I go with them by paying them 200-400 rupees to sell my harvest in the Chhota Udepur market,” he said.
"If you're a Rathva, Pithora is a distinct mark of your identity!" he said. Pithora is an art practiced mainly by the Rathva, Bhill, Nayak, and Tadi tribes in parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The Rathva tribe in Chhota Udepur, Gujarat, is the most famous tribe for Pithora.
A fresh yield of corn from Mannsinghbhai’s farm laid out inside his house.
Pithora, initially painted on cave walls, emerged as a part of rituals. The artform shifted to the walls of their dwellings once they started living in huts and houses. It reflects the environment and lifestyle of the tribes as a story and is a sacred part of their tradition. Gradually, the tribes grew accustomed to monetizing the art by painting it on fabric.
Mannsinghbhai walks to his field as well as to the fields of the farmers he tends to as a laborer and gets tired, as they are situated far from his home.
Mannsinghbhai used to sell 20 to 30 paintings on fabric a month before the pandemic. “The academy and government would send people here to see my paintings and I would sell them. Since the pandemic, I have not sold a single painting. Right now, I have to focus on farming, because that’s all I can do,” he said. His struggle to make ends meet is evident as his Pithora paintings are wrapped up and stored away in a corner of the small, unfurnished house, collecting dust.
Pithora painted on fabric by Mannsinghbhai.
"Since we started selling Pithora, people have been taking a lot of interest in our culture. Seeing this, our kids also get motivated to engage in the rituals. In fact, I think recently people are working on going back to their Rathva roots and feeling proud," he said happily.
The painters have become comfortable with the idea of selling Pithora that contain aspects of their god and religion because it serves as a passive income. "I think it’s okay to sell Pithora even if it has Pithora baba (god) on it, mainly because it provides a good income,” said Mannsinghbhai.
On the other hand, Harisinghbhai Rathva, 45 years old, has earned a fortune selling Pithora. “Nobody taught me how to paint. I just accompanied my father and grandfather when they would go to paint and did small work beside them. Gradually I just developed the skill,” he explained. “We are not painters, we are 'lekh lakharas' (story writers)" he stated.
“Government officials now ask to see the Pithora in your house to confirm if you are a true Adivasi (tribal),” said Maansinghbhai,(Maansinghbhai is a different painter from Malaja village, unlike Mannsinghbhai who is from Ganthiya village.) Harisinghbhai’s father.
"You name the state and I have been thereto showcase my art. I even received an award by the hands of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam,” he proudly said as he pulled out an album comprising photos of his travels.
Today, because of old age, he cannot travel like he used to and focuses on farming instead. “How can I just rely on selling Pithora? We have had a fair share of both, good fortune and devastating times. Look at the condition now, since the lockdown we have hardly sold any paintings.” He has 2 acres of ancestral farming land where he grows crops like bajra (pearl millet), corn, cotton, tur dal (pigeon peas), peanuts, and maize. He also owns a buffalo and a few hens to provide eggs and milk for the family.
Maansinghbhai being facilitated by former President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Maansinghbhai and his family of 11 members live in a big, well-furnished, and decorated house located right in front of the small house he had built himself when he first started selling Pithora. Alongside him, his wife, Hegliben, used to sell ornaments made with beads (moti). Now she focuses on homemaking while her daughter-in-law, Lilaben, makes the ornaments. “I used to make the ornaments in bulk before the lockdown. People and foreigners would come to visit to see our Pithora and would buy some ornaments too, but I have not sold any since the lockdown.” She also sells them in the market and tribal fairs, which are a rare occasion since the pandemic. The smaller pieces such as bracelets and earrings range from 100 to 300 rupees apiece and the elaborate necklaces are 300 to 600 rupees per piece.
Lilaben making ornaments with beads with the help of a needle and thread to make precise and beautiful designs.
“We get the beads from different places like Vadodara, Ahmedabad, and Madras. The last time we visited Ahmedabad, we bought beads worth 10,000 rupees in bulk,” added Harisinghbai.
Lilaben selling handmade ornaments.
At present, Naranbhai, Harisinghbhai’s son is pursuing a career focused on painting. “I like to paint Pithora as the orders come and I charge according to the size of the canvas ranging from 1000 to 3000 rupees per piece. I take almost three days to paint it on canvas with fabric paint." They receive Pithora orders from private, government, and foreign entities. "Right now, I am finishing an order worth rupees 3000 rupees for a client in Rajasthan," he added.
The Adivasi Academy in Tejgadh, Chhota Udepur focuses on the betterment of the tribal community in Gujarat and helps them sell their paintings with 10-20% commission. However, they discontinued their involvement upon realizing that it might be controversial to sell paintings containing the Pithora God.
“We don’t have an issue with selling the paintings, why question it when it provides a good income?” said Maasninghbhai.
Harisinghbhai added to this, “We, of course, wish that the paintings be respected because it will only bring prosperity to you. Once, a lawyer from Ahmedabad gave me an order to make a Pithora painting worth 10,500 rupees in the hope she wins an important case. As soon as I delivered it to her, she won the case!”
Harisinghbhai’s grandson, Naranbhai paints Pithora on fabric and plywood with fabric paint.
Maansinghbhai and Haribhai have painted many walls, enough to have lost count. “We charge anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 rupees, depending on the size of the walls.” They are quite renowned for their work and they have a great demand in the village. Occasionally, they have orders outside their village too. “There isn’t a lack of painters here. There are almost 25 painters in this village itself. But it depends on the relations you have with the Badva (elder priest), the community, and, of course, how good your work is,” said Harisinghbhai.
“See, if your family is facing issues like debt and illness or you want to thank the Pithora dev, you consult the Badva of the village and conduct the ritual under his guidance. But it can only be done after Dev Diwali until June. If you don't follow the tradition, the boys in the family won't get married because you have displeased Baba Pithora,” said Kadiyasinghbhai, Harisinghbhai’s brother, who lives separately and works as an Ayurvedic medic in the village. “It is very important to maintain the tradition. Diyas and incense sticks are a significant part of the process. Depending on whether they are Bhagat or Jagat, we break a coconut or sacrifice a chicken or goat,” said Maansinghbhai.
Maansinghbhai standing in front of the Pithora he had painted in his house almost 30 years ago
“Women can’t make Pithora,” said Maansighbhai with deep scorn on his face while the other men agreed in unison. “It’s our tradition. Only unmarried girls can do lipai (prepare the wall) with two layers of cow dung and chuno (paste of limestone powder). Unmarried boys paint over it and if this is not followed, they will remain unmarried for life,” continued Harisinghbhai.
“For the wall paintings, we buy natural powder colors from Kolkata. You can easily buy them from the market. We mix it with homemade alcohol or cow’s milk in bowls made only from the topmost leaf on the branch of Kesudo,” said Harisinghbhai explaining the process of painting.
“We don’t store anything from the previous paintings. From the bamboo brushes, leaf bowls, and natural paint, we prepare everything on the spot for that specific Pithora.”
Only the topmost leaf at the end of the branches of the Kesudo tree is used to make the bowls to hold the natural paint for Pithora.
Maansighbhai’s family is well off despite the setback of the pandemic. They were able to gather hefty savings by selling Pithora before the pandemic. However, they are running out of their savings faster than expected because of increased alcoholism in the family. Maansinghbhai and Harisinghbhai were visibly drunk and could not form coherent sentences to explain the stories portrayed in the Pithora in their house. Drinking has become a daily habit for them, especially in the morning and evening, without which they face extreme withdrawals, including jitters. They have to now focus on farming more than ever to earn a decent livelihood for the family.
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