Colour rush of Nirmal art

I am inside a handicraft emporium at Hyderabad, gazing enraptured at a series of paintings known by the name of ‘Nirmal’ art, named after its place of origin, a small village called Nirmal, nestled among the forests in the Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh. The place is around 383 km from Hyderabad.

I am utterly captivated by the vivid portrayal of a dancer duo done in the traditional style, its dazzling hue set against a dark backdrop. I can almost feel the rhythm of the musician in gorgeous blue and the dancer in an aquamarine lehenga and yellow ochre chunni. The next painting is a banjaran in vivid red, followed by a lady with a lamp in soft green, a maroon blouse and a transparent sky blue dupatta. There are scenes from our epics and paintings that remind me of Mughal miniatures, Kangra paintings and the Ajanta frescoes. Painted on wood in glowing colours, they are exquisite in detail and exhibit a soft but super craftsmanship.

The Nirmal art form is said to have originated in the 14th century. The artisans practising it were known as Naqash or Nakkash. Traditionally, they painted scenes from the epics — the Ramayana and the Mahabharata — and other well-known legends from the puranas. The Mughal rulers were so impressed by this art form that they patronised it in a big way.

Powerful patronage

Five centuries later, Lady Hyderi brought the artisans to Hyderabad and was instrumental in promoting the Nirmal art, making it known to the rest of the world. The subsequent generations of Nirmal artists did not remain confined to painting mere epic themes, and experimented with other styles, drawing inspiration from Mughal miniatures, Kangra, Ajanta and other well-known art forms.

I move over to another section displaying Nirmal crafts — toys, plaques, bangles, jewellery boxes, screens and many other attractive items. The crafts developed simultaneously along with the paintings. Like the paintings, the artists first made figures of mythological characters. Along with these, they also crafted birds, animals, flowers and trees. The craft was fully developed by the 17th century. According to a popular legend, one day the Nizam of Hyderabad visited Nirmal and was given a wonderful welcome by the artists. They had crafted an intricately-designed banana bud with golden petals, especially for him, and put it up over his seat. When the Nizam sat down, the bud unfurled and there fell a shower of golden petals all over him, which impressed him very much. On his return, he extended his patronage to the artists of Nirmal.

What makes Nirmal art and craft unique is the fact that these artists only use locally available material, whether it is painting or other craft items. Wood is the basic material for both. The colours used are made from minerals, gums, herbs and the like. The gleaming golden colour so prominently present everywhere is made from herbal juices. The soft white wood used for the paintings is called ponniki and is strengthened with coatings of tamarind seed paste, fine muslin and pipe clay before the actual painting is done.

Tryst with toys

The toys are made from the local ponki chekka wood, which is very light and flexible and easy to cut into the required shapes and sizes. The different parts of the toys are stuck together by specially-prepared glue and coated with chinta lappam, prepared from sawdust and boiled tamarind seeds. It is then coated with white clay, which smoothens out the ridges and depressions. The toys are then dried and coloured. As in the case of paintings, only local and indigenously prepared dyes are used for colouring them. The wall plaques and other artefacts are made a little differently, as teak wood is usually used in this case, after processing it on lathe and spraying it with Duco paint in the desired background colour. After that the design is painted in varied colours.

The Nirmal Toys Industrial Cooperative Society, situated on National Highway 7, was established in 1955 and is the main toy-making unit while the Hyderabad branch specialises in furniture and paintings. Keeping pace with modern tastes, both Nirmal art and craft aim at producing items that are contemporary in design, while retaining their original tradition and style. This fusion of the past and present gives an added dimension to their work.

As I walk out with a miniature painting and a few toys, I am convinced that they are going to occupy a special place in my collection.