When a Painting is a ‘Thank You' Note

The Pithoro murals invoke gods and goddesses even as they accommodate landscapes with a pantheon of real and imaginary creatures, informs Sandhya Bordewekar.

- Sandhya Bordewekar

Many tribal communities that are conscious of their natural environment have evolved lifestyle practices that protect and sustain it. In a world that is moving too fast, one has to acknowledge the tenacity with which they often resist the temptation to accept the compulsions to homogenise and erase their cultural uniqueness. When they are faced with trouble in their lives, such as prolonged illnesses in the family, failed crops, childlessness, business losses, unresolvable family feuds, they turn to their deities and seek their support and succour. Over centuries, the monumental Pithoro painting has emerged as a tool of appeasement, a ‘thank you’ note to the gods for relieving them of their misery. Once the problem is sorted, the family is duty-bound to fulfil the committed vow at the earliest. The Pithoro can also be painted in anticipation of good fortune or as insurance against future calamities.

The name Pithoro comes from Babo Pithoro or Pithorodev, the god who is worshipped by the large Rathwa community in south-eastern Gujarat and western Madhya Pradesh. The painting is not just an instrument of visual delight; it is a powerful representation of gods and goddesses in their homes. It is crowded with images of Rathwa life.

The painters or Lakharas are always male – they hail from families in which this skill has been handed down across generations. None of them has a formal training in painting, though a few of them have made it to art schools in recent years. However, they prefer the traditional mode of painting, with a minimal influence of art school learning.