Banjaras, the the nautral fabrics store run by mother daughter duo of Deshpandes have brought to the city a unique glimpse into the art from Gadchiroli district Dokra Art festival. The response was so overwhelming that the art pieces are still in great demand. Brought to the city by NGO Devrai Art Village, an initiative by Mandakini Mathur, this NGO helps this art form to survive by specialising in using traditional adivasi techniques to produce modern artifacts in combinations of iron, brass and stone, wood and bamboo.
Master craftsman Suresh Pungati hails from a small village, Bhamaragad, in Gadchiroli district and he, along with four other artisans, was present to showcase their work in Dokra. "The traditional art work is created using raw materials like brass, iron and stone. We are the third generation who is taking care of our paramparik art. We have no means of proper marketing in our village or district, nor do we have proper source for getting good raw material. Besides, the Naxalites do not allow any tribe or anyone to progress or open their own business. Hence, we had to shift out with our skills and find a way to make a living," he explains.
Mandakini met him by chance and together they set up this Devrai Art village in Panchgani. "The Devrai Art Village was born with the idea of connecting with nature and celebrating creativity. In the process, it tried to cut out middlemen and provide maximum income to the adivasis themselves. We began in 2008 with four craftsmen from Gadchiroli while this year, four additional craftsmen from the Chhatisgarh region have joined the team," informs Mandakini. "Through this NGO we are creating modern art works which is also the need of the day," states Pungati.
"It is not like we do not have our traditional art works, which include tribal gods and goddesses, ghodsawar (the horseman), tribal horn- a musical instrument, tortoise, anything that inspired us. But now with changing times, people want things that can be of utility.
Hence now we have unique products are one of a kind and could be of purely aesthetic value or of utility like lamps, coasters, bathroom accessories and door handles to name a few," he says adding, "We are helping my tribal artisans by finding them work and giving value for their art pieces."  

--Prachi Bari