Udhagamandalam  :

Kurumba art is dying a slow death. There are no takers for this traditional art form which was once passed from generation to generation among the tribals of  Nilgiris. Lack of interest and awareness among the Kurumba youth has diminished its recognition as an art form.

However, a few people are desperately trying to preserve this tradition. R Krishnan, 41, a Kurumba tribal, who learned the art from his grandfather, has been trying to keep interest in Kurumba art alive. “I learnt the art from my grandfather and am interested in pursuing it,” says Krishnan.

His grandfather, the late Mathan, used to paint on the walls of the tribal temples located across the district. The graceful and simple rectangular art, taking the shapes of humans, animals and plants form the distinguished genre of the art, used to adorn the walls of Kurumba homes during the festive season. Today, Krishnan has switched over to canvas as the base instead of the traditional rock surface. Still the traditional art is full of life, representing the visual contest of the times.

The main themes of these paintings include death rites, worship, nature, honey gathering, wildlife and forests. These artists use only natural colour procured from leaves and tree resins mixed with mud of different varieties. “The natural colour we produce from the leaves and tree resins are fast colours. But we are limited to traditional yellow, brown and black, besides dark and light green,” Krishnan said.

“Over the past two decades, no one in our community showed much interest in learning the art. People are interested in generating sufficient income for their livelihood. Hence, the art took a back seat,” he said.

In a bid to revive the art, Krishnan has been trying to persuades children of his village, Vellerikomabi near Kotagiri, to learn the art. He holds classes for schoolchildren in his home. “I am confident that a few of these children will pursue the art,” he says. Krishnan also attends exhibitions and other events to sell his paintings.

The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), which has taken efforts to develop and improve the livelihood of tribals, conducts workshops for Kurumba tribals so that they could learn their traditional art. A few months ago, TRIFED conducted a three-month workshop on the art, in which 20 people participated. To encourage youth to take up the art, TRIFED also offered them a stipend on a daily basis.
“As of now, we are focussing on enhancing the standard of livelihood of the tribes in the Nilgiris by providing them with training programmes on various skills,” said S Udhayakumar, senior official, Tribal Research Centre in Ooty.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Coimbatore / Shantha Thiagarajan / TNN / October 24th, 2016