Chittara folk art of Karnataka

                                                                                                                              Date:- 18|01|2017
           The purpose of this research is to study the symbols of Chittara art and to pay attention that is required in preserving the folk art with the help of its contextual relevance to the society as it is structured by the Deewaru community folks. There is very little information on this art due to the unavailability of literature in Maland (Karnataka), where the art originated. I have researched on the symbols, motifs socio-cultural life, and the material culture that has  been used on the artwork by Deewaru people of Maland. I have contacted the CFRIA (http://www.cfria.in/), art journal from Sristi College of Art (Bangalore),   and gathered the information. Also, there are few books and journal paper from Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/2000/08/28/stories/1328076c.htm) that helped me a lot.The Research is aimed at throwing light on this dying folk art and help the art get its pulse back by creating new design and aesthetics from it.
  

     Introduction
               In the deep forest of Karnataka, in the southern part of India, there lives a tribe called Deewaru. People of this tribal community have a beautiful folk art called Chittara, which is the mix of music, Painting and the lifestyle of Deewaru people. Women folk of this tribe are in-charge of their community, the painting which used to be done by women,. they used to sing the folk song during the time of painting.  Traditionally, Deewaru women painted the mud walls of their huts on special occasions such as weddings, festivals and also in the auspicious days. In a single word, this art form represents the hustle bustle of their village life. Along with various type of ceremonies, the birds and animals around them, the children playing toys are also represented through geometric expression. They also used lots of flower for pujas, that were collected from the forest.

                                                                 Deewaru people




       Deewaru are agrarian folks and worship nature with utmost reverence. They mainly cultivate rice, sugar, and areca nut and they used to collect coconuts from the jungle. They are mostly owners  of farm lands, illiterate and financially weaker. It is a Matriarchal Society where women are highly respected and control most of the activities. This power relationship between men and women is also manifested in the social culture like wedding ceremonies where  the bride's family commands higher respect. The community is culturally integrated by unique customs and ritualistic practices. These practices reflect their interaction and profound relationship with environment. The traditions and ritualistic practices of the community are incomplete without the practice of of Chittara.

                                      Chittara paining on paper in modern days done by paper
 


 This is about the sociao-culture of Deewaru people. The next post will be about the motifs and symbols that are used in Chittara paintings......

                                                             Chittara painting on paper

........................................................................................................................................................
agrarian- relating to cultivated land or the cultivation of land.
 matriarchal -relating to or denoting a form of social organization in which a woman is head.

1.