Founders Mandakini Mathur and Suresh Pungati (centre) with their team of artisans at Devrai Art Village
All about Devrai Rock Dhokra
On the uphill road to Panchgani, one of the many things you notice is a signage directing to 'Devrai Art Village'. This leads you to an exotic art centre set amid the quaint surroundings of the hill station. A human sculpture carved out of a tree welcomes you; and what follows are a number of dhokra-styled artefacts. The art is precisely called 'Devrai Rock Dhokra'. While the dhokra art (found in Harappan civilization) used the lost wax technique, the Devrai Rock Dhokra, as the name suggests, uses its fusion with stone.
Creativity enthralls in every nook and corner here. From candle stands to lamp shades made of bottle gourds (calabash), and from sculptures of Gods and goddesses to the mounted Iron Man, one is surrounded by a variety of artefacts.
The inception of this artists' haven has a rather interesting story. It was founded by Mandakini Mathur and Suresh Pungati in 2006 out of their sheer interest in art and a desire to contribute to it.
The inception:
Pungati, a decorated artist, brought up in Baba Amte's ashram in Anandvan and hailing from the naxalite hit district of Gadchiroli in northern Maharashtra came to Panchgani in 2000 to take up a job offer in a school. It was here that he met Mathur, who expressed the desire to devote her piece of land for social work and art activities.
Mathur, an art connoisseur and film maker believes art is not about creating something hybrid, or of the past, but to evolve in order to cater to the contemporary needs of the society. She feels she has been lucky to have been introduced to the tribals and their indigenous art forms.
"It all started with a few craftsmen along with Pungati who sat under the old tree of Ficus Glomerata (umbar) practising their art," she said.
Winner of the Adivasi Sevak Puraskar, Pungati had practised bamboo art, wood craft and other traditional art forms, that he inherited from his father, an artist too. Incidentally, Pungati had wanted to set up an art centre in his village Keyar, Bhamnagar in Gadchiroli when young. However, the plan did not materialise then due to interference from the naxalites.
The opportunity in Panchgani was a second chance for Pungati to live his dream. After an arduous journey of raising the required funds, Mathur and Pungati registered the Devrai Art Village (DAV) in 2006.
Elaborating on the underlying thought of DAV, Mathur said, "Indian art is inspired by nature. At Devrai, which means a 'sacred grove', we incorporate the elements of nature into our artworks."
The art discovery
Like the many discoveries made through accidents, one fine evening, Mathur found a pebble and asked Pungati, who was casting, to paint it. Instead, Pungati had the idea to pour molten brass on it. The result was an abstract design. The Eureka moment was short-lived as the structure soon disintegrated. To reason this out and find a perfect fusion, a lot of experimentation was undertaken by the team here with different types of soil and stones, testing their baking capacity. Finally, a soil sample from Panchgani was sought.
Following the age-old tradition of the adivasis to invoke God for success, the artisans (about 11 of them) successfully sculpted the Nature Goddess using this soil and brass casting. This sculpture is the first natural piece in the world created by casting.
Thereafter, there was no looking back. Devrai Rock Dhokra's first big recognition came in the Kala Ghoda expo held in Mumbai in 2012 where their art received an overwhelming response. Among their very first buyers were Shah Rukh Khan and other television actors.
The road ahead
To propagate the art form, a two year course has been designed for aspirants. In addition, students get the exposure of marketing possibilities, client interaction and opportunities to exhibit their work at various platforms. Last year, their artworks were displayed at Pune's acclaimed Bhimthadi exhibition too.
"We give our students a stipend of Rs. 3500/- every month with free accommodation and food. They are also taught and encouraged to give exams under the National Institute of Open Schooling," informed Pungati. "Our objective is to provide livelihood to the tribal youngsters. Here, qualification is not important, but a genuine interest in art is," he added.
DAV recently launched its new training centre in the Bhamragad taluka in Gadchiroli.
Mathur feels it important to kindle in children the love for conservation of nature to address the growing nature-deficit disorder. She hopes to create an inclusive centre for indigenous arts at the same place in near future, where aspirants can learn not only dhokra, but also metal casting, stone art and even storytelling. "There is a lot talked about the western world and western art, and we often overlook our indigenous art. To introduce the same, we wish to curate workshops for students, she adds.
To know more, visit www.devraiartvillage.com