REKINDLING THE Spirit of Art

For the past three decades, Mumbai-based visual artist, multidisciplinary designer and scholar Lakhichand Jain has made several efforts to revive Mandana with the help of modern means and tried to give it a new lease of life.

- Text Neha Kirpal

An ephemeral art form that originated in ancient India, Mandana is a graceful folk expression traditionally found on the walls of earthen mud houses, as well as floors and courtyards in Rajasthan. In fact, it is the only art form in the realm of folk painting that manifests on both walls and floors. The word 'mandana' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'mandan' which means 'to express' or 'to explore'. Mandana art is a kind of mélange, woven with uneven, bold lines and symbolic forms on both walls and the canvas of the floor. It is created using simple white 'khadiya' (gypsum chalk) and 'geru' (indigenous red ochre, terracotta-red colored soil). Greatly interlaced with faith and belief, it is most often associated with festive days and auspicious celebrations.

In ancient times, Mandana art was created by men to protect the altar of the Yajna-Havanas from evil spirits, beautify sacred spaces as well as for various kinds of creative practices involving spirituality and tantra. After the Vedic period, it was used to beautify earthen mud houses and slowly emerged as a tradition that was nurtured by women. Over the centuries, a number of folk stories, songs and couplets have been composed based on this traditional visual folk art form. Apart from Rajasthan, Mandana is also found in Madhya Pradesh and the Khandesh region of northern Maharashtra.