The Dalit Foundation pursues the world's most important value - equality - and works to end the injustice of caste discrimination. By so doing, the Foundation works for the whole of humankind.
Barry Knight: Noted social scientist, Founder and Associate, CENTRIS, UK
Dalit Foundation is a registered charitable trust (no. E/16122/
Ahmedabad) under Bombay Public Trust Act 1950 (29th Act).
Godna Paintings
The second Dalit style of paintings was initiated by Jamuna Devi from the Chamar caste and was quickly adapted by Dusadh women as well. This style of painting produces large colorful images of deities and legendry figures using the frayed end of a bamboo stick. The most distinguishable feature of this style is the drawing of two lines with gobar (cow dung) with black dots between the lines to mark the frame as well as all around the depicted figures. In the 1980s Jamuna Devi innovated her style further by preparing the entire surface of the white paper with a light gobar wash to suggest the texture of a mud wall. Though this process caused some dismay earlier, due to its aesthetic and commercial success, it has now become a standard procedure for almost all Dusadh and some upper caste painters. The third style of painting developed by Dusadh artists was geru (brown) painting. This style was used only by two or three artists in the late 70s and 80s. The paintings depicted bold figures of deities, animals and plants mostly in brown with a few bright color contrasts. However this style did not attract buyers and soon disappeared from the repertoire.
As can be discerned from the above tract, Dusadh painters have been extremely innovative and experimental in their styles and techniques and have been rapidly expanding the scope of their art. Images of Hindu deities especially Krishna and Shiva; the sun and the moon; various Dusadh rituals; Rahu, the Dusadh Sun God; of the life and adventures of Raja Salhesh; and the Tree of Life often filled with animals, birds, insects and sometimes even people are common imagery used by Dusadh artists conveying the variety of subjects in their art. Dusadh paintings have been both influenced by and have in turn influenced the paintings of other Maithili communities. In fact, they have also become part of the national mainstream art as several urban artists from other communities in India have been incorporating godna images into their paintings.
To know more about the Godna paintings and how you can contribute, please contact admin@dalitfoundation.org
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