Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
The Mandana art of Rajasthan, a unique women's art passed down from mother to daughter
Guest Blogger Pallavi Vadhia is Book Building Manager, Tara Books.
A rare treat afforded staff and visitors at Book Building in Chennai last Saturday.
Watching Sunita, a talented young artist from the Meena tribe, mixing and working with her hand in just two colours – white and terracotta – was a joy to experience. Her calm, yet focused demeanor made all the more pleasurable for the viewer as we gazed at the menagerie of animals skillfully taking shape on large kraft paper sheets.
One could only wonder where her fingers would create the next line and curve. Hailing from Rajasthan’s Meena tribe, Sunita is part of a public art tradition passed on from mother to daughter through the generations, and was with us working on the illustrations for a children’s book project.
Sunita at work
In the Meena villages of Rajasthan women paint not just the walls and floors of their own homes to mark festivals and the passing seasons, but public and communal areas as well, working together and never leaving individual signatures. The living art that they create is known as Mandana.
It is extremely rare for women of this tribe to travel outside of Rajasthan, and this weekend was the first time that Sunita’s work had been displayed publicly, making the visit even more special for us.
Animal motifs in Mandana art
[You can read more about this extraordinary tradition of women’s art in the book Nurturing Walls, which focusses on a common theme found in Meena art: animals and their young]
Guest Bloggers are those who want to share their ideas/experiences, but do not have a profile here. Write to us at [email protected] if you have a special situation (for e.g. want read more...
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
Please enter your email address