Art requires Attention, Artist thrives with Acclamation

Dilip Vaghi, based at Ahmedabad, Gujarat is an exceptionally talented artist. Born at Dantali, a small village near Petlad, Gujarat, Dilip Vaghi started painting Mata Ni Pachedi when he was 12 years old.

Mata Ni Pachedi or Mata No Chandarvo is a rectangular painted cloth created to worship the goddess. The unique feature of this painted cloth is that each Pachedi has an image of Mata at the center. Also traditionally, Mata Ni Pachedi is painted with natural colours.

Interestingly, Mata Ni Pachedi is painted by the wandering caste, which is considered lowest as per Hindu Caste System. The fantastic art of these artists is shadowed as they cannot ‘market’ their products effectively. Had these artists born in affluent families they would have received international acclaim.

Dilip Vaghi is married to Josna Vaghi from Chhota Udaipur, also a very talented artist herself. She started painting Pithora, family art, when she was just 10 years old.

Warli Painting was learned out of necessity by Dilip and Josna Vaghi together during their trip to Udaipur. During their visit to Udaipur, approximately before 15 years, they were not able to sale Mata Ni Pachedi, which depressed them to a great extent. Some officials suggested them to study Warli Painting on the wall and that’s when without any formal training both husband and wife started painting Warli Painting.

In spite of being so talented, both artists are humble enough to give all the credit of their art to Goddess Saraswati, Goddess of Knowledge. We need to reward such artists and create a platform for their development.

Pithora Paintings are creation of colourful images on walls by Bhilal, Nayak and Rathwa Tribes of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Pithora Painting is a ritual to show appreciation to God for the wish granted or is an offering to seek blessings before an auspicious occasion. Black Horse is central focus of the painting depicting Rathwa God Pithora.

Warli Painting is an ancient Indian tradition of painting prevalent in Maharashtra and some parts of Gujarat by Warli Tribes. Warli Painting beautifully depicts simple life highlighting celebrations, customs and intricacies of rural life. Warli Painting uses basic designs patterns like circle, square, rectangle, etc. Warli Painting is created using white colour obtained from rice powder.