The origin of folk and tribal art traces its roots in primitive society, while its persistence is attested to by the survival of indigenous Indian communities. Meena, one of the oldest tribal communities residing in eastern Rajasthan and parts of Madhya Pradesh, has succeeded in preserving its cultural identity even today.

The art of the Meenas is a collective, community art, where every member of the community, predominantly women, has honed their Mandana painting skills. It is primarily a non-professional art practiced by the community women in various realms of life. The art of embellishing mud-houses with these beautiful Mandana paintings is learned from elders; there is no formal training or apprenticeship. The continuity in its practice closely knits the mundane activities of daily life and the production of utilitarian objects. This art is functional, no matter whether its objective is to give aesthetic shape to tools and articles of everyday use, or to bolster the ideology of social structures.

Mandana has persisted among the Meena women through generations, passing from mother to daughter by means of social exchange. These women are highly skilled and well ‘educated’ in terms of their long and rich experiences. For these women artists, simple shapes like squares, circles, triangles, etc. become the alphabet for an exercise in picture writing. When asked for the reason behind these creations, their answer is simple and spontaneous – “chokha lage che” (i.e., it feels good to make them). But when one goes into the details of this art, one finds many parallel stories and reasons for Mandana being so religiously practiced.

Looking at the technical aspect of Mandana, we notice that it does not follow any principles of perspective or proportion. The total effect is a juxtaposition of different elements of nature put together to show that they live in harmony. This is the reason why we see balance and symmetry in the paintings – but they are not mirror images. The colours are predominantly white on red, involving only two basic earth-colours easily available in the surroundings i.e. khadiya (chalk) for white and geru (red-ochre) for red. The drawings are flat in treatment and bear integrated designs. In the Mandana done on wall surfaces, the distinguishing features in its forms are mostly suggestive. There is an unintended effort to simplify the realistic presentation of nature-elements. The internal filling of the body of the form is textural rather physiological.

The themes of Mandana are mainly varieties of birds, animals and plants, anthropomorphs, zoo-morphs and exquisite decorative designs which are highlighted with dots and dashes. Amongst all these forms, their forte is moradi (peacock) painted in a variety of magnificent styles and shapes mostly on front exterior walls.

In Mandana paintings the Meena women record their past and present experiences. Thus, we see drawings of such animals, birds and objects that no more exist in their present surroundings, but the images of which still haunt their memory and are accorded a place in these visual expressions. Occasional images of a tractor, bus, motorcycle, or a bullock-cart also feature in their art, showing the vitality of their imagination and the desire to include contemporary elements.

CLICK HERE for photographic documentation of Mandana by Madan Meena.