The
National Council of Churches Quadrennial Assembly is at the threshold. The
theme of the Assembly is “Towards Just
and Inclusive Communities”. NCCI is mobilizing and inviting churches and communities to participate in
this pilgrimage and celebration. Various Pre Assemblies or Forums are being
organized. “Our aim is to creatively engage communities, churches and people to share their stories and contributions
and join us in our pilgrimage to build just and inclusive communities. Building
just and inclusive communities also
calls for just relationships with mother earth” states Rev Dr Roger Gaikwad, General Secretary of NCCI. Ten
young women dalit and tribal artists were invited to share their notion of just
and inclusive communities through
traditional Warli art form by painting
murals embracing walls around the trees in NCCI campus. These young women are from indigenous and dalit background and are trainees from adopted slum communities
of Church of North India – Social
Service Institute (CNISSI) of Nagpur Diocese. Church of North India is member
Church of NCCI.
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| Dalit and Indigenous ( adivasi) artists with Rev Dr Roger Gaikwad, Ms. Aradhana Upadhya ( Director - CNISSI) & Moumita Biswas - Executive Secretary of All India Council of Christian Women |
According to Mrs Aradhana Upadhyay Director, CNI-SSI “We work towards building just and inclusive communities. Our work is among marginalized communities. We engage in various poverty alleviation, skill development, income generation and leadership development projects and programs. Developing grassroots women leadership and gender justice is one of our main focus. We train women to use traditional art forms, to use recycled resources, and engage them in income generation entrepreneurship activities.”
As
the young artists splashed their creative Warli art strokes on the walls in NCCI campus
they sang traditional folk songs “ The flowers
of spring are blooming ….We embrace you mother Earth and Sister Tree”. According to Ms Moumita Biswas – Executive Secretary of All India Council of Christian
Women, the Women’s wing of NCCI, “ This endeavour provided us the opportunity to dialogue
with artists and their teachers on how folk art can be used as a tool of advocacy to promote human rights of people of vulnerable communities and rights of women and children, and even promote harmonious relationships with mother
earth. Art is an expression of our spirituality. NCCI and AICCW also focuses on ecumenical and spiritual formation by nurturing artists and preserving the cultures and traditions of the spiritualities of indigenous people, dalits and women.
The
art form, that was used by the women artists to paint murals in the NCCI campus, is known as Warli art. Warli art is beautiful
folk art of Maharashtra state in India, traditionally created by tribal women
mainly Malkhari, Koli, Kathodi, and Dhodi tribes . This art was first explored in
the early seventies and the form then was named “ Warli art”. The Warli style of painting evolved from its mural form. Even
today in villages of Maharashtra it is a
tradition to decorate the mud walls of the huts with Warli paintings
made in rice paste. The
most important aspect of the painting is that it does not depict mythological
characters or images of deities, but depicts social life and how people live harmoniously with nature.
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| Sharing Water - Mural painted by young women artist in NCCI Campus |
In present context, Warli art is highly commercialized and used by textile and handicraft
industries. Warli art is even used to decorate walls in five star hotels. Therefore there is the urgent need to interrogate this entire process of commercialization
of folk art. Since this form of art work is not patented, it is being robbed from indigenous
people and it is getting stripped off its spiritual, social, cultural and traditional elements, as lands of
indigenous are being taken away and they are getting displaced and migrating. NCCI invites churches to nurture and promote artists, particularly the folk art of women, indigenous and dalit people
and their spirituality towards building just communities and harmonious relationships with
mother earth.
Reported by
Moumita Biswas
Executive Secretary
All India Council of Christian Women
Women's wing NCCI
