Sohrai

Etymology: The name Sohrai is believed to be a derivative of the word 'soro', a word of the paleolithic age which means 'to drive with a stick'.

Origin: This art form originated in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.

Location: Tribal communities inhabiting all across Jharkhand practice this ritualistic art form. Sohrai is a common ritualistic cultural practice popular amongst the Munda, Santhal, Oraon, Prajapati, and Khurmi community to name a few. Even though these communities have their respective storytelling art practices, they share this ritualistic art form as one community.

Community: Sohrai paintings are made on the day after Diwali. This art form is exclusively performed by women to honour the animals as they are devoted nature worshippers and believe that animals embody sentient spirits.

Relevance: These wall paintings are designed to welcome new harvests, worship cattle, and offer thanksgiving to the forces of nature. Apart from the aesthetic value, these paintings are designed when the women repair their houses after heavy rains.

Historical background: These wall paintings are made by the tribals of Jharkhand and West Bengal during the celebration of a festival called Sohrai in the months of October-November. Their motive is to appreciate nature and its elements. Hence, the paintings made for this festival are called sohrai. They paint flowers, fruits, sparrows, peacocks, squirrels, cows, and other nature-related designs. These elements are a reflection of their forestry abode.

Culture and societies: At present, the Munda and Oraon are the only tribes that actively make Sohrai paintings. The women of these tribes exclusively make these wall paintings. This wall painting is transgenerational, wherein the women folk pass the artistry down to younger generations.

Religious significance: The communities that practice Sohrai art form follow a religion that is an amalgamation of nature worship and Hinduism. Their religious and spiritual beliefs are reflected in the motifs they paint. The majority of the motifs painted are nature influenced, with few deities.

Legends: It is a superstition that is believed by the tribal communities that Sohrai paintings bring good fortune to their families and community.

Central motifs and their significance: These paintings are largely seen with motifs such as peacocks, elephants, fishes, sparrows, and flowers. These elements signify their life in these forested areas.

Medium used: Sohrai paintings are entirely made with natural colours. These colours are extracted from the soils around them, the colour black is derived from kali mitti (manganese black), white from dhuddhi mitti/ charak mitti (white mud), red from laal mitti/ geru (red oxide), and yellow from pila mitti (yellow ochre). The paintings are painted with either their hands, cloth, sticks or twigs.

Style: These are decorative and symbolistic frescos that are thickly outlined and have characters made with simplicity rather than focusing on anatomy. These paintings aesthetically are similar to palaeolithic-age cave paintings, these paintings however are colourful and have an earthen colour scheme. They reflect their influence derived from the environment around them. Motifs of flora and fauna designs are mainly painted.

Process: The walls are firstly coated with a layer of white paint, after which the background for the paintings is coloured. The background could either be red or black, or they paint the motifs directly. The next step involves painting the outlines for the motifs in which the colours are filled in later on.

Change in the art over time: Sohrai paintings, although traditionally painted as wall frescoes, are also made on paper and textiles for entrepreneurial chances. Some practising natives and artists still use their hands, fingers, and twigs to make these paintings but mostly now these traditional methods have been replaced by paintbrushes and cloth.

Many governmental campaigns have been carried out to expose this art form to the masses. The Ranchi airport and many commercial places in Jharkhand adorn Sohrai paintings. These paintings have also been GI-tagged, which puts them on a larger art map.

1. Xaxa, A., Devy, G.N. (2021) Being Adivasi. New York: Vintage Books.