This family of artists is determined to preserve the heart of the art form
Published Date – Sat 23/24 at 07:00 AM
Hyderabad: Dhanalakota Vaikuntam, 63, sits at a rustic wooden table surrounded by paints and brushes, immersing himself in the canvas throughout the day. As he moved his aging fingers with precision to trace thin lines, his wife, Wanaja, motioned for him to take a break.
“He was always like this… sitting for hours without a break. Our son and I always had to remind him to rest,” she said.
The couple and their two sons – Rakesh and Vinay Kumar – are Nakashi artists. This traditional art form has been passed down as a family legacy for at least 15 generations. They are probably the few remaining families who practice this art. They are also known as Cheriyal scroll painters because they come from the village of Cheriyal which is about 90 km from Hyderabad.
“Long ago, before the advent of cinema, storytellers used to move from village to village telling ‘Neethi Kathalu’. Our ancestors would draw these stories on earthen cloth, which the storyteller used as a visual aids,” Rakesh said, adding that a volume of the paintings contained 40-50 panels, each depicting a part of the story.
Cheriyal paintings can be identified by their striking red background and the dominant ‘Adda Geethalu’ (checkered lines found only in paintings from this region). The outlines are drawn with a brush made of squirrel fur.
Although the family is determined to preserve the core of the art form, they have found a way to adapt it to modern times. “When I was 14 and learning to paint, we made scrolls and masks. But today, we paint on wooden panels that can be hung as wall decorations. We also paint on walls,” says Vaikuntam.
Just like his art, Vaikuntam also had to change his life. He and his family lived in Cheriyal until 2013. But they moved to Hyderabad because it was the only way to keep their art alive. “Because there were no storytellers, orders for traditional scroll paintings became rare. But fortunately, during the Telangana craze, Cheryar’s paintings became well known. We started getting orders from the municipalities. Moved Hyderabad makes sense,” Rakesh said.
Although Vaikuntam and Vanaja miss their village, they are happy that their children have chosen to carry on the family tradition. Not only them, their three-year-old grandson also insisted on picking up a paintbrush.
