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Portaying India: Madhya Pradesh with Durga Bai Vyam
Portraying India
Perceptions of India, inspired by the lives of those who embody its most authentic spirit
In this edition, we look at Madhya Pradesh from the perspective of contemporary folk artist Durga Bai Vyam
In recent times, in the midst of the ongoing climate crisis, we’ve begun to realise the intelligence of the ways in which indigenous cultures operate. One of the most important realisations has been the importance of living in harmony with nature, understanding the flow of energy through everything alive. With a renewed appreciation for indigenous culture, there have been increased instances of fusion between contemporary and tribal art that inform the narratives of our time.
A prominent name in the fusion of the tribal tradition of Gond Pardhan art and contemporary techniques has been Durga Bai Vyam. Although she lives and works in Bhopal, most of Durgabai’s work is rooted in the rich folklore and mythologies of her birthplace, Burbaspur, a village in the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh. Her art is inspired heavily by the stories she heard as a child from her grandmother. In the next few minutes, we’ll focus our lens on her work as an artist and what it speaks about.
In the Right Place at the Right Time
At the age of six, Durga Bai learned the art of digna from her mother, a ritual of painting geometric patterns on the inner and outer walls and floors of the house during weddings and harvest festivals. It was the community’s appreciation of her dignaworks, listening to stories with her grandmother and mentoring under her mother that shaped her artistic voice in the early years.
In 1996, at an artist’s camp organized by Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal, she was particularly inspired by the work of her late brother-in-law and Gond tradition pioneer, Jangarh Singh Shyam. “He was my guru,” she says. “I used to watch him work, and that is how I learned.”
A Meeting of Gond Art with Contemporary Art
Durga Bai’s subjects are rooted in tribal folklore and mythology and are drawn mainly from the pantheon of the Gond Pradhan community and popular folklore. She is proficient in the motifs that characterise the art form—the undulating trees, the striking plumage of birds, the delicate features of forest animals. Her strength, however, lies in the way she is able to imbue her subjects with rich, evocative personalities: human or animal, her characters are alive and bursting with stories to tell.
"The themes I have always liked to paint are rivers, trees —especially the bamboo tree which is vital to life because from it is made Bada Dev's musical instrument bana and the bansuri, flute —Diwali celebrations, kanyadan, houses and children, animals such as tiger, deer, stag with antlers, peacock, bull, garden lizard, pig, birds sitting on top of trees while animals sit below."
Important Works
Durga Bai’s first big break came when fellow Gond artist, Anand Singh Shyam, invited her to exhibit her work at Bharat Bhavan in Madhya Pradesh. With her rebellious spirit and her knack for narrative, after a few years of exhibiting her work, she began to gravitate towards literary interpretations of her work.
In 2003, Vyam was invited to a workshop by Tara Publishing in Chennai, and has since been illustrating books. She has contributed to illustrate several art books like ‘The Night Life of Trees’, ‘One, Two, Tree!’, ‘Sultana’s Dream’. In 2011, Durgabai and Subhash Vyam published a graphic biography of B. R. Ambedkar titled ‘Bhimayana: Experiences of Untouchability’ published by Navayana. In the Kochi Muziris Biennale 2018, the artist couple had created an experimental graphic narrative on marine plywood giving the traditional Gond wall art another dimension.
Exploring Gond Art in Madhya Pradesh
Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal
Bharat Bhavan, was where Gond art, as we recognise it today, was given its first opportunity to establish itself. It happened at a meeting between the Director at that time, J Swaminathan, and a young Jangarh Shyam, whose talent he recognised and promoted. Today, Bharat Bhavan is like a place of pilgrimage for Gond Pardhan artists.
The Village of Patangarh
Situated in East Madhya Pradesh, Patangarh is a haven of Gond artists who live with the rhythm of the sun, the moon, the seasons, and the crows of the roosters. As you walk through the village you get to discover the stories of artists as they continue to revolutionise the tradition of art while also living by the way of their ancestors.
While you’re in Madhya Pradesh
You can also explore Orchha and Khajuraho, cities that will make you rethink what a temple can be. Though from different periods, both of them feature unique architecture that is characteristic of the ruler who built them. And if it’s architecture that you’re looking for, do head to Mandu where there is a blend of Hindu and Islamic styles, showcasing the cultural and artistic influences of the different rulers. Before heading out, you can stop by Sanchi, a group of Buddhist monuments (monolithic pillars, palaces, temples and monasteries) that date back to the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C.
Recommendations for Further Exploration
At Tushita, we marvel at India with you. After 45 years of travelling the country, we’re still enamoured by its beauty every day. From Ladakh, where Tushita was anointed by a Buddhist monk in 1977, to Tamil Nadu, where we worked with locals to showcase one of the oldest cultures in the world, we are partners in your journey to discover our part of the world.
Where should we go today?