Many young tribals in Odisha, who found a way out of unemployment as creators of traditional paintings and crafts, have been hit hard by the restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sanjay Gamango, a Lanjia Saora tribal, would have purchase orders lined up for his colour-on-canvas Idital, a traditional Saora painting form originally seen on the mud walls of aboriginal Lanjia Saora homes, which attracted art-lovers all over the world. Due to travel restrictions in the past three months, tribal painters and artisans have not been able to source raw materials such as canvas, tussar (silk) and glass (the surface on which they paint). Daitari Kumar Singh, a painter of Gond paintings, is known to be an aggregator of tribal paintings. While some tribal painters have begun hand-crafting face masks, it may not be enough to provide them with a reliable livelihood.

Source: The Hindu June 11, 2020 11:26 UTC