Art that empowers
By Sarojini Nayak

IN a small hut in rural Orissa, a group of young girls are busy with their paint brushes, giving a new dimension to an age-old folk art practised by several generations of women in Orissa. The UNESCO Chitta Conservation Project in Ghodasalia village (near Nimapara, about 40 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar) has not only highlighted the rich repertoire of chitta, but also the urgent need for conserving such art forms as are slowly dying out in the march of civilisation.

Two years ago, when the project was about to begin, neither the girls nor their families showed much interest. After all, what was so great about these white murals that adorned the walls and floors of the houses? It was an accepted practice to paint the houses during Laxmi puja and other festivals and they were merely following the tradition. Now two years later, there is a tremendous amount of pride and a sense of achievement in the trainees. "In spite of opposition from my family I have joined here and I am feeling very good about it", says Mamata Baral. Another trainee, Bhanumathi, says with pride "My parents were angry that I was sitting idle at home, but now they are happy and so am I".

Funded by UNESCO and coordinated by the Centre for Women’s Studies, Utkal University, the Chitta project has four main objectives: Revival of chitta, documentation of the art (including the production of a book), creating an archive and a Women Speak Out (to voice the thoughts of women). This project was selected by UNESCO under its scheme for cultural development and was initiated by Anees Jung.

Chitta is a folk art generally associated with religious and auspicious occasions. Oriya housewives observe Laxmi puja during the months of November-December. During this period, the mud walls and floors of the houses are adorned by murals made with rice paste. Flowers, creepers, animals and birds are some of the common motifs and the drawing is done by using the fingers as a brush. However, at times, a stalk of paddy is also dipped in the paste and flicked on the walls and many intricate patterns are created. The white drawings on the freshly painted ochre mud walls are indeed very striking.

Since the designs cannot be preserved on the walls for long, they are copied on paper and cloth. The 25 trainees who have been chosen from the neighbouring villages are young girls in the age group of 12 to 18 years and all of them are school dropouts. Apart from the chitta teacher, at times older women are invited to share their designs. Competitions are held among the village women, so that new designs may come to light. Later, these designs are transferred to paper or cloth using fabric paints and brushes, instead of rice paste and fingers. Some of the Saora wall paintings from Phulbani have also been copied and preserved.

As an extension of their training, the girls are also taught applique work, which is a popular craft of Orissa. The Project also includes a literacy drive and providing of nutritional food. Besides, the trainees receive Rs 50 as stipend and this small income has added to their self confidence. As the training centre is located on the road to Konark (famous for the Sun Temple), a number of tourists stop to have a look and many show keen interest in buying paintings. Efforts are on to develop a sales strategy as these products — wall hangings, cushion covers, greeting cards, etc — have a tremendous market value. As a whole, the project has opened new doors for the women and given a new dimension to chitta.

Even the villagers have begun to see chitta in a new light. It has provided employment opportunities for three teachers, one cook and one carpenter. The girls who were earlier sitting idle at home have now got an opportunity to do something and are likely to supplement their family income. Thanks to the initiative taken by UNESCO, chitta art of Orissa, like the Madhubani paintings of Bihar, will perhaps become popular and contribute towards the development of women artisans.