Gond painting receives GI tag, non-tribal artists now require committee approval to use designs
Madhya Pradesh’s famed Gond painting has been conferred as a Geographical Indication (GI), protecting and recognising tribal artists. Now committee approval is needed for non-tribal artists to use the art.
Madhya Pradesh’s famous Gond paintings have been designated as a Geographical Indication (GI). A geographical Indication (GI) tag is a label placed on products that have a specific geographical origin and have qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.Â
It is used in industrial products, foods, agricultural products, spirit drinks, and handicrafts. GI Tag ensures that no one other than the registered authorised user is permitted to use the popular product’s name.
Padma Shri awardee and well-known Gond artist Bhajju Shyam, “It’s a matter of pride for us. People from tribal and Gond-dominated communities will now benefit directly from this.” “They tell us about nature, trees, plants, animals, moon, sun, river, drains, God and Goddesses,” the Padma Shri awardee said of Gond paintings.
As per Dindori collector Vikas Mishra, “Gondi painting is not just a medium of employment for us, it is our identity, our respect, and our symbol. The whole human life and its journey are shown through the painting. Each painting is a story in itself. We have made Amarkantak the centre of point for its promotion and we are routing the big hotels of Jabalpur as well.”
According to the government of India’s Indian Culture website, because of the limited availability of archival resources or objects, as well as the inherent impermanence of the materials and methods involved in the creative process.
In this context, the historical evolution of ‘Gond,’ or Pardhan painting, or ‘Jangarh kalam,’ must be understood. Gonds, a community of approximately four million people spread across central India, have a recorded history dating back 1400 years. The term “Gond” is derived from the Dravidian expression “Kond,” which means “green mountain.”
The Bharat Bhavan art centre in Bhopal, Central India, was founded in the early 1980s with the goal of creating a common space for all types of contemporary art practises. J Swaminathan, a modern Indian painter, and activist, led this mission with a passion for bringing forth the creative expressions of India’s rural folk and tribal societies. J. Swaminathan organised young artist groups to explore such expressions in rural areas.
These artists created a new visual vocabulary by giving concrete visual shapes to their myths, legends, fables, tattoos, and music, which had previously been hidden from ‘mainstream’ society.
The Gond artists have developed their own devices to work with various contemporary mediums and materials over the years.
