It’s a sunny afternoon in a village. Three women dressed in printed cotton saris are crushing wheat with big bright bamboo sticks. Their saris are vibrant, embroidered in red, mustard and green. They look happy at work, striking conversations under the shade of a big banyan tree. Birds and hens eat the grain off the earth while two hay-thatched huts stand at the corner. The pale green backdrop brings this scene to life. The swirling frame of yellow and red dots gives it all the more an exhilarating effect. But something is about to happen. Something dramatic, maybe? Who knows! One must wait for the next scroll to unfold.
It is believed that the Cheriyal Scroll Paintings were brought to India by the Mughals in the 16th century however some say, that it is mostly the invention of the locals since they differ from the other forms of scroll painting found in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Cheriyal Paintings bear a heavy influence of temple art traditions. Performing arts of dance and music were soon added to this style of painting by the Kaki Padagollu community- a clan of story tellers that use these paintings as visual aids while they narrate their stories. Today, the present generation of the Nakash Clan continues this legacy in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
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The Storytellers Collective 