Santal women, in preparation for their annual harvest festival, Sohrai, ritually decorate their mud walls with primarily floral or geometric patterns. The motifs, compositions and colours used vary from region to region. However, not all villagers paint their walls, though the festival is always observed. 

In the course of our field trips around Santal villages over the years, we found that the motifs and monochromatic compositions found on the mud walls of North Purulia stood out for their exquisite designs. The compositions of the amazing women who continue their ancient legacy, vary from elaborate and ornate to simple, quick motifs executed with sure, effortless sweeps and strokes on their mud walls. Both traditional and contemporary compositions coexist, though it is the traditional motifs that are worthy of note. 

Their process is simple : the painting material they use is clay, their brushes are their fingers and as they swiftly etch intricate, rhythmic patterns with their fingers on off-white poli mati that is layered over dung coated mud walls,  the designs that emerge are  spontaneous and breathtaking.  

The women who are the stakeholders of this magnificent legacy of traditional Santal Sohrai wall motifs are quite nonchalant about the remarkable results of their effortless dexterity. Their wall art is part and parcel of their lives. 

However, these women are now a part of a diminishing band of traditional artists. Modern kaleidoscopic compositions have now begun to dominate the scene, along with the use of chemical paints, patterns traced on walls by the men using plumb lines and paint brushes. The trend in fact has spread like wildfire. 

Mongoli Tudu is a traditional Sohrai artist – one of the dwindling numbers.  Mongoli who is 56 now and a widow, picked up her skills by observing her mother from a young age. 

Even though she is hard-pressed for time, since she herds her cows, looks after the household, sweeps, cleans, and cooks, she always paints her walls for the festival.  The extremely talented Mongoli excels in both bas relief work as well as the traditional “finger painting” style.  Her wall was the only wall we observed, which had etchings over the beautiful relief work on her walls. Most prefer to either colour their wall relief in a solid colour or just leave it with a fresh coat of plaster. 

Sohrai celebrations are round the corner and Mongoli will be busy ornamenting her walls soon.  This simple woman is a fount of creativity and enthusiasm for her art. Truly, it is individual artistic zeal that is the determining factor and women committed to their wall art will always find the time, irrespective of their other commitments in their homes and on their fields.  It is women like her who will keep the traditional alive and need to be supported. 

 For more on Sohrai wall art, read here