37 year old Srabani Baskey is the only graduate in her village who decorates the mud walls of her home with traditional Sohrai Likhan, the unique Santal wall murals that are created in celebration of their harvest festival, Sohrai. Her stylized floral designs are breathtakingly beautiful and reflect a tradition that has prevailed in and around northern Purulia for eons. This is believed to be the oldest tradition among the Santals - in style, composition, and technique.
Srabani started learning the art when she was fourteen years old, observing her mother, elder sister and older neighbours in her village in Bankura district, bordering Purulia. She continued to adhere to this art even in her in-law’s home in Purulia. Sraboni draws on her memory of past practices mingled with her imagination to create compositions that are deeply embedded with tradition and yet, free flowing, spontaneous and imbued with her personal style. Srabani also paints the walls of her neighbours when requested, since all Santal women do not necessarily possess the necessary skills or inclination.
Since Sohrai wall art is a community tradition and not an occupation, Sraboni’s walls are her gallery and the viewers, her neighbours and family. This is true of all skilled traditional Sohrai wall artists like her as their unique art is pretty much unknown to the rest of the world.
Srabani has participated in workshops, organized with the intent of saving this magnificent art, where she has taught other women from the region the traditional motifs, compositions and technique. In fact, she states with pride that, in recent times, she has observed teenaged girls in her village emulating her motifs for their own walls.
She feels that it is the individual’s passion for the tradition that will keep the art alive, irrespective of background or education - that is, as long as mud walls are not overtaken by bricks and mortar.
It is her fervent hope that a recognition of this traditional art will bring forth opportunities that will empower traditional artists like herself to keep their beloved art alive.
Starting in 2024, in an attempt to save their art, Srabani and a small group of traditional Sohrai Likhan artists have been endeavoring to translate on paper, their traditional wall motifs. They have taken the liberty of moving beyond monochromatic tones and adding to their palette, other natural hues, from stone, bark, leaves, dung, soot and so on.
Along with three equally talented Sohrai Likhan artists, Sraboni recently helped create a Santal wall art installation, in the farm house of renowned architect, Dulal Mukherjee, in a village near Kolkata. She looks forward to more such opportunities to showcase Santal Sohrai Likhan.