Many young tribals in Odisha, who found a way out of unemployment as creators of traditional paintings and crafts, have been hit hard by the restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sanjay Gamango, a Lanjia Saora tribal, would have purchase orders lined up for his colour-on-canvas Idital, a traditional Saora painting form originally seen on the mud walls of aboriginal Lanjia Saora homes, which attracted art-lovers all over the world. Iditals made by his friend Ebol Sabar were especially popular and sold easily. Now, however, there are no takers for their work. The market for Idital and other tribal art and craft, built over years of effort and systematic improvement, has fallen apart. Tourists, the mainstay of the market, are no longer seen.

The Tribal Development Co-operative Corporation of Odisha Limited (TTCCOL), the State-run agency that markets their products, does not have a platform for online sales, which has made matters worse.

State patronage

Mr. Gamango and Mr. Sabar appear to be lucky in that they have the patronage of government-run Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI), but their peers in faraway locations such as Gunupur in Rayagada and Harichandanpur in Keonjhar districts are facing considerable difficulties. Due to travel restrictions in the past three months, tribal painters and artisans have not been able to source raw materials such as canvas, tussar (silk) and glass (the surface on which they paint).

“We used to go from one fair to another to sell our paintings. Fairs and exhibitions have been cancelled, and we cannot travel. A painter can earn a minimum of ₹1.2 lakh a year, which is a good amount [of money] for someone who works from his home in a remote village,” said Mr. Gamango.

Some succeeded better than others. Daitari Kumar Singh, a painter of Gond paintings, is known to be an aggregator of tribal paintings. He would collect works of tribal art from villages and market them through his office at Harichandanpur in Keonjhar. His monthly income ranged between ₹30,000 to ₹40,000.

‘A huge market’

“Tribal arts and crafts have a huge market. A few years ago, we tried to tap their potential by bringing changes to paintings’ design and diversifying the product, but we ensured that the essence of the tradition is not tampered with,” said A. B. Ota, Director, SCSTRTI.

Dr. Ota said that more than 60 tribal youths skilled in Saora and Gond paintings were able to find livelihoods in this way, inspiring many others of their community.

In fact, SCSTRTI has identified the potential of 18 tribal arts and crafts, including embroidery on shawls by Dongria Kandhs; the Bronze Age craft of dokra; jewellery by the Bathudi and Bhumija communities; bamboo crafts by Lodhas; and the looms of Kulis in western Odisha.

As the government has eased restrictions on intra-district movement, raw materials can be procured now. But the future looks grim as the impact of the pandemic on the crafts sector is expected to felt into the next year. While some tribal painters have begun hand-crafting face masks, it may not be enough to provide them with a reliable livelihood.