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30th October 2005  If you like Warli folk art,
then you will certainly love Pahuri. This art style has
been created by artist Lakhi Chand Jain. Pahuri art
finds its roots in the village of Pahur in Jalgoan,
Khandesh, Maharashtra. Lakhi Chand Jain was born and
brought up in this small village of Maharashtra.
Jain calls his childhood a memorable experience, which
left behind distinct memories of smells, sounds and
feelings of Pahur and its people, which have resulted in
this art form, which he has named Pahuri. Reliving the
past everytime, he fills canvas after canvas depicting
the simple life that exists in these tribal villages.
Home for the tribal people of Pahur consist of just a
mud hut and a shack. Children play in a small triangular
area attached to the house, sleep, eat and live their
entire lives in this small piece of land. People are
happy with the simple life they live. Few possessions,
little land, simple meals consisting of mainly raw
onions, green chillies and chappatis (Indian bread) and
sometimes a sweet dish only made to grace a festive
occasion.
 Lakhi Chand Jain uses his canvas to capture the essence
and observations of his early life in Pahur - - like
women giving birth to children in cramped quarters,
children and childhood, youth, the middle aged working
in farms, old age and then death, women doing their
daily chores. Essentially, a life far away and
unaffected and uncomplicated by the modernity all
around.
Three to four years of intense research has led to
giving this art form a final look. The creation of these
simple line strokes is used by the artist helps him
create figures in action. This creates a repertoire of
images that talk about Pahur village life. These
villages exist in the Dhulia and Nandurbar region of
Maharashtra. The adivasis (tribal) of Pahur have also
influenced the colours the artist has used in these
canvases. Jain has covered over 300 topics, but he says
there are over a thousand different situations that he
needs to put down. “If painted – the process will take
over a decade to complete.”
His village on the banks of the Waghur River lies very
close to the Ajanta Caves. This place has also given
birth to the local dialect called Khandeshi. Its
festivals, rituals, folk arts, song and dance
traditions, and literature, food like pithla bhakari
kanda; mirchi ka thecha; daal batti; papad ki churi;
puran poli amti; brinjal red gourd and fruits like
bananas and berries, utensils of copper, implements such
as supda, ukhal, jatye, khalbata, bata varvanta;
agricultural implements, homes and their humble
interiors besides the beautiful outdoors are very unique
to Pahur.
 “The winds of change are gradually eroding the
indigenous flavour of the villages of India – this is
why I felt it was time I did something about preserving
my experiences for posterity. After all, how could I
forget the soil that had nurtured my soul? While doing
my graduation in Applied Art I went back to Pahur for
every holiday. With the increase in my work load, the
village has grown distant, but I observed and recorded
them,” he says. ‘Pahuri’ is the medium through which I
hope to offload some of those memories.”
The artist hopes that in the future, he will be able to
record this art in photographs and in video films. He
has made inroads into giving this art a more permanent
life by getting them printed on T-shirts, bed sheets,
towels, curtains etc. Calendars, letterheads, envelopes,
gift articles, high tech prints, digital art, 2D cartoon
film etc adorned with Pahuri art are also on way.
Pahuri is fairly simple to draw - just stick like
figures. The artist has plans to come up with schemes
that will create a unique niche and identity for this
art form. “Pahuri is a medium through which the viewer
will experience infancy, childhood, youth, adulthood and
old age simply through straight lines.”
The memories are now etched out on a canvas in front of
me in the form of Pahuri with them: “I traverse the
times gone by – the village, its streets and squares. I
sit looking about for and playing with my childhood
friends….”
About the artist:-
Lakhi Chand Jain has studied Applied Art. You can
contact him at A-202, Manav Mandir –2; Near Saraswat
Bank, station Road, Kalwa, Thane – 400 605, Tel
022-25339865,
E-mail: - mandanaindia@yahoo.com or lakhi_youthindia@rediffmail.com
BY HARPREET KAUR |
