center for revival of indigenous art

I met Geetha in an art gallery in Bangalore in 2000, the center for revival of indigenous art finally took shape in 2006. Geetha is an artist, curator and art educator based in India; Chairperson, cultural committee of Indo-Japanese Association; former Chairperson, Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth, Bangalore and Director, Saga Goruyu School of Ikebana.

Voluntary members of the organization include Dr Mohan Chandragutti,an expert on the Culture and Customs of Deevaru tribe ; senior Chittara artists Sirevanthe Chandrasekhar and Gowri Chandrasekhar; Dr Preeti Shankar,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore,a connisiuer of Indian classical music and parton of folk art; Ms Aparna Mathur,artist,dancer and patron of folk art.

Currently, we are working on the art form of Chittara. It is practiced by the indigenous community of Deevaru who reside in and around the village of Sirevanthe, Sagar, which lies amidst the beautiful vales of Western Ghats in Southern India.They are an agrarian community of nature worshipers and have a matriarchal society, with an exceptional customary practice of widows adorning ‘red’ bangles to enable their integration into the mainstream society. Engaged primarily by women for generations, this collaborative and ritualistic practice embodies a microcosm of their socio-cultural dynamic. Painted with eco-friendly natural resources these intricate and ornate paintings are social narratives that reflect the general iconography of their indigenous community; most importantly they mediate their profound relationship with nature and the physical environment around them.

The Centre for Revival of Indigenous art, aims to preserve and build awareness of this artistic practice which is survived by a meagre populace of illiterate artists who are remotely connected to the outside world.

The website is currently under construction.