Sohrai: Jharkhand’s indigenous wall art that celebrates nature is now empowering women

Celebrating ecology and livestock

With men and women preparing natural pigments from abundantly found mud rich in minerals, grasses, Sal tree stems and twigs, and using bamboo brushes, it infuses elements of ecology and biodiversity right from the earthy pigments to the mud-adorned walls. Traditionally, the art uses four earthy shades derived from local mud: laal or gerua mitti (red ochre), kali mitti (black), peeli mitti (yellow ochre), and safed mitti (kaolin clay or charak mitti). While these remain central, acrylic and enamel colours are now used to create modern artefacts with a touch of tradition.

The themes emerge from the natural world- domesticated animals, forests, naturescapes, and plants (Photo: Swasti Pachauri)

The themes emerge from the natural world – domesticated animals, forests, naturescapes, and plants. Fish, tortoise, flowers, trees, peahens, cattle, and birds are painted on walls and now on handicrafts. Traditionally painted a day after Diwali, much like Goru and Govardhan Puja in other parts of the country, the walls become living archives, expressing gratitude for nature’s bounty.

On the day, cattle – integral to agricultural prosperity – are worshipped with a small aarti. Cattle and other livestock are adorned with flowers, garlands, rice flour, vermilion, turmeric, and other offerings. Households across Jharkhand also pay tribute to Lord Pashupati on the occasion. Livestock, birds are decorated and paintd on the walls, and prayers are offered. Dhaan ki kheer and other rice-and-jaggery delicacies are also offered as feast to livestock. Cows, bulls, buffaloes, and goats receive the same prasad, worshipped not merely as rural assets but as members of the family.

How Sohrai empowers rural women

Kamini Sinha, 50, from Ranchi district, a state awardee for Madhubani art, was recently in Delhi for over a fortnight for an exhibition at the Crafts Museum. Trained initially in Madhubani art, she has been practising Sohrai since 2010. Recognising its immense potential beyond walls, Sinha diversified it into functional and decorative handicrafts.

While Hazaribagh remains its cultural heartland, the art is also practised in other districts of Jharkhand. (Photo: Swasti Pachauri)

After completing her MSc, Sinha began preparing for government examinations. Marriage, however, interrupted her plans of pursuing a government job. She then became determined to pursue something of her own that she could do from “ghar ki chaar deewari.”

“After marriage,” she recalls, “there was a long list of what I should not do, but no list of what I could.”

In 2010, determined to build something unique, she began working with other women from her village who wanted to practise art from home. She started with Madhubani and gradually moved towards Sohrai, particularly as the art gained wider recognition. Today, her enterprise supports more than 35 women.

‘Now, we don’t need to ask for money.’

Her store, Om Creations, in Ranchi’s Booty More, stocks a wide range of Sohrai artefacts, textiles, and handicrafts ranging from wallets, purses, trays, paintings, wall hangings, coasters, tablecloths, greeting cards, plates, mementos, bookmarks, envelopes, to sarees and stoles. Her products are popularised through the government’s Tribes India initiative, and she regularly sells them to government clients and visitors. Painting Sohrai motifs on jute bags and purses has also been a way to diversify her art form.

“Earlier, it existed only on walls,” she says. “We brought it inside homes. Today, my work appears on a Rs 100 envelope to a Rs 15,000 saree. Earlier, we had to ask our husbands for money. Today, we don’t need to ask for even a single rupee. Our in-laws support us because we are financially independent.”

Sohrai has empowered many women and artists like her.

Sinha’s work has travelled beyond borders to Dubai and Singapore. One of her most memorable moments is when she gifted a Sohrai painting tracing President Droupadi Murmu’s journey, titled ‘From Mayurbhanj to Raisina Hill’, to the President herself.

Traditionally confined to walls, the art uses four earthy shades derived from local mud: laal or gerua mitti (red ochre), kali mitti, peeli mitti (yellow ochre), and safed mitti (kaolin clay or charak mitti). (Photo: Swasti Pachauri)

“I might have become a school teacher,” she says. “But with Sohrai, I was able to showcase some of my art to the President of India.”

Sohrai, she believes, is a creative way to pay respects to nature’s abundance keeping principles of sustainability in mind. The primary challenge, she says, lies in visibility and sustained marketing support, particularly on digital platforms like Instagram. However, government schemes such as the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) and Mudra loans, and Startup India initiatives, have played a crucial role in supporting entrepreneurs like Sinha. She now intends to organise Self-Help Groups (SHGs) around Sohrai as part of her efforts to further popularise the art.