15-day Summer Camp At Tribal Museum: Bhuribai teaches nuances of tribal painting to slum kids

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Padmashree awardee Bhil painter Bhuribai is teaching the nuances of Bhil painting to children at the MP Tribal Museum in the city. She is not only teaching paintings but also narrating the stories behind the artworks to them.

It was part of an ongoing 15-day summer camp, organised by the museum. Around 40 children of age group 8-14 years from different slum areas including Kolar, Nayapura and Bittan Market in the city are taking part in the camp. They are making sketches of trees, bullock carts, elephants, peacocks, houses of tribal areas, rivers, fishes etc on paper using pencils. Later, they will colour the artworks with acrylic paints.

Bhuribai told the Free Press that besides teaching the nuances of the tribal paintings, she also narrates to the children why and when the artworks are made.

For instance, bullock carts are used in farming and in marriage ceremonies, elephants go to cities from villages to perform rituals and horses are made for decorating the walls of homes and used for performing rituals. “I also told children that I started painting at eight and now I am 55. I got many awards including Padmashri. So learn the artwork carefully and get awards,” the tribal artist said.

Besides Bhil painting, children are learning Gond paintings under the guidance of Gond painter Narmada Prasad Tekam. The summer camp began on June 11 from 12pm-3pm and it will end on June 25.