The Cheriyal Art Form: A Tradition Against the Currents of Time

A performative art of storytelling-the Cheriyal art form has long been part of traditional oral storytelling. But why is this ancient art form on the verge of disappearance? And how is the age-old tradition of the Cheriyal scrolls persevering and fighting to stay relevant in the changing times?

Recently, Cheriyal's local visual narratives have adapted from scrolls to keychains to stay relevant; Image Source: Scroll

Storytelling has been at the heart of human experience, culture and history since the dawn of humankind. Our ancestors used stories to make sense of the world, to pass on knowledge and wisdom, to preserve their identity and heritage, to express their emotions and values, and to challenge and change the status quo. Stories were the main source of learning and entertainment for generations. They were told around the fire, in the cave, in the temple, in the palace, in the market, in the school, in the theatre, in the court. Stories shaped our collective memory and imagination.

Imagine a scroll of cloth or canvas that tells a story with colours and shapes. A story that comes from the ancient epics of India or the local legends of the Deccan region. A story that is narrated by a storyteller or a bard who travels from one village to another, unrolling and rolling the scroll as he goes along. A story that is accompanied by puppets, dances, and music. A story that is painted with natural colours and brushes made from squirrel hair. A story that is bright, intricate, and stylized. This is the Cheriyal art form, a traditional style of folk painting that originated in the region of present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Cheriyal art form has a history of more than five centuries. It evolved from Nakashi art, a broader term for folk paintings in this region. The name Cheriyal comes from a village in the Warangal district of Telangana, where many Nakash families lived and practised this art form. The Nakash was a hereditary caste of artists who specialized in making scroll paintings, masks, dolls and other decorative items.

In 2007, Cheriyal Paintings were granted Geographical Indication (GI) status, which protects intellectual property rights due to their distinctive traditional design and qualities.

Cheriyal art is a medium of storytelling that preserves and propagates the ancient myths and legends of India, as well as the local history and identity of various communities. It is also a form of entertainment and education that appeals to both children and adults. In the making of these scrolls, the Nakashi artists only paint howsoever the bards guide them. These bards are the actual storytellers that carry the ancient treasures of stories and perform them in puppet shows or on stage against the backdrop of these scrolls.

When put like this, one can deduce that Cheriyal art form is also a creative expression that reflects the personality, style and voice of not only the artist but also of the bard. One observes that it is not a fixed or static form, but a dynamic and evolving one that adapts to different contexts, purposes, and media. It is not a one-way transmission of information, but a two-way interaction between the artist and the audience. It is not only a visual art form, but also an oral and performative one.

The artists prepare the canvas before painting each scroll. They harden it with chalk powder and tamarind powder. The base colour is usually chosen as bright red, meanwhile, other colours could be yellow, blue, green, and white. With the changing times, the scrolls have had to adapt as well to stay relevant. The scrolls that once used to be unfolded amongst the villagers are now reduced to being displayed in museums.  The long stories that once went up to 20 meters, are now reduced to a single scene painted upon a sheet of canvas to adorn walls. Apart from that, the traditional way of extracting colours has also adapted to life's fast and conventional current. Earlier they used natural white extracted from sea shells, black from lamp soot and yellow from turmeric but now synthetic colours suffice as they require less time and are cost-effective.

However, the Cheriyal art form is a dying art form that faces many challenges and threats in modern times. There has been a decline in patronage and demand for scroll paintings due to the advent of mass media, urbanization and globalization. With no assistance from the government, artists aren’t able to support themselves and their families, let alone their art and therefore, are forced to abandon it. Because of this, the tradition has failed to interest younger generations, who prefer to pursue other careers or education that offer more security and prospects.