Nestled
deep in the tropical forests of the Western Ghats
are the villages of Hasuvanthe and Manjina
Kaanu. Manjina Kaanu, literally meaning 'the
mist of the forest', is a tiny village on the banks
of the backwaters of the Sharavathi Reservoir in
Shimoga District, which supplies power to
the entire state of Karnataka. These villages are
the cradles of the exquisite mural art of "Chittaara",
done by the women of the Deewaru Community.
These murals, painted on the walls of their houses,
depict the important events of their life.
Chittaara is a collaborative effort of the womenfolk
in the community, which takes the form of intricate
paintings on the walls of the red mud coated houses.
Every line in the painting is symbolic of the life
around them and the experiences they live through.
The art forms, therefore, represent the daily hustle
and bustle of their village life, the birds and
animals around them, the toys their children play
with, the flowers used for puja, etc. Music
is interwoven into their art and folklore. Mesmerizing
melodies fill households with vibrant notes. Every
situation and every chore has a song. All their
day-to-day activities like grinding flour, pounding
rice, sowing saplings, removing weeds were enlivened
by songs. This
tradition of singing is slowly fading. Marriage,
an important life event, is shown in elaborate detail
with the mantap (the wedding altar), guests, the
couple and scenes of festivity. Sometimes there
are occasions when two marriages take place simultaneously
in a family, which is depicted in 'Pappali Chittaara'.
'Theru Chittaara' illustrates the temple chariot
festival where devotees are shown pulling the chariot.
There is 'Cheeku Bagilu Chinnaani' in which
the energy of the mind is depicted. Other murals
are 'Hadhinaaru Moole Arathi' and 'Mumdige
Chittaara', 'Chittaara Chaavadi' dealing
with different themes.
These murals are done basically in four natural
colours, White, Black, Red and Yellow. White
is made of rice which is first thrashed and then
pounded into a paste. Black is burnt rice ground
into powder and Red is the laterite soil readily
available in the surroundings. Yellow is the pigment
colour extracted from the Gurige flower. All these
colours are made by women of the household, who
make large quantities of the powder and then use
small quantities mixed with water every time they
paint. They use the fine fibres of the pundi plant
as paintbrushes. Till
now there has been little effort to document this
art or revive it, except for the work done by
Karnataka Janapada Parishat in bringing this
art form to light. Recently, the Adventurers Group
working in that area has supported the artists by
giving them shelter. An effort is being made in
the village of Hasuvanthe, where a widow and her
brother have taken up the task of teaching this
art. Both of them decided that they would not only
take up this art in a serious way, but also teach
it to other interested young girls. They feel that
if girls are taught this art, they will pass it
on to their children after they marry. After three
years of troubles and turmoil, resentment from the
community and lack of economic support they have
managed to give this art a status.
8:32:07 AM 
Nestled
deep in the tropical forests of the Western Ghats
are the villages of Hasuvanthe and Manjina
Kaanu. Manjina Kaanu, literally meaning 'the
mist of the forest', is a tiny village on the banks
of the backwaters of the Sharavathi Reservoir in
Shimoga District, which supplies power to
the entire state of Karnataka. These villages are
the cradles of the exquisite mural art of "Chittaara",
done by the women of the Deewaru Community.
These murals, painted on the walls of their houses,
depict the important events of their life. 
This
tradition of singing is slowly fading. Marriage,
an important life event, is shown in elaborate detail
with the mantap (the wedding altar), guests, the
couple and scenes of festivity. Sometimes there
are occasions when two marriages take place simultaneously
in a family, which is depicted in 'Pappali Chittaara'.
'Theru Chittaara' illustrates the temple chariot
festival where devotees are shown pulling the chariot.
There is 'Cheeku Bagilu Chinnaani' in which
the energy of the mind is depicted. Other murals
are 'Hadhinaaru Moole Arathi' and 'Mumdige
Chittaara', 'Chittaara Chaavadi' dealing
with different themes. 
Till
now there has been little effort to document this
art or revive it, except for the work done by
Karnataka Janapada Parishat in bringing this
art form to light. Recently, the Adventurers Group
working in that area has supported the artists by
giving them shelter. An effort is being made in
the village of Hasuvanthe, where a widow and her
brother have taken up the task of teaching this
art. Both of them decided that they would not only
take up this art in a serious way, but also teach
it to other interested young girls. They feel that
if girls are taught this art, they will pass it
on to their children after they marry. After three
years of troubles and turmoil, resentment from the
community and lack of economic support they have
managed to give this art a status. 
