Celebrating lives of pastoralists

Amidst the hectic, hustle bustle of urban living, the life of the pastoralist comes as a welcome relief. The idea of families wandering around in oases of green, men lounging languidly on charpoys covered with colourful rugs, conjures up not just an image of a bygone era but also a peep into a way of life that one had thought had ended. But no, the pastoralist still remains a part and parcel of 21st century life.

Known as communities that rear animals for a living, pastoralists are largely vagabonds, and a recent exhibition 'Living Lightly,' celebrates this way of life through panel discussions, film, art, and poetry among other avenues.

Currently being held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) the exhibition brings together 15 regions of India focussing on communities as diverse as Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Kutch, Sikkim, Rajasthan and Telangana amongst others. There is international participation too with a focus on pastoral communities coming from Afghanistan, Balochistan, Africa and New Zealand.

It is fascinating to see just how certain pastoral communities have adapted rituals into their way of life. 40-year-old Sushila from a Gongadi weaver from Telangana explains just how important the prized Gongadi shawl, made of Deccani sheep wool, is intrinsic to their way of life.

"No wedding or child birth ritual is complete without a Gongadi shawl," she says, adding, "The speciality of the Deccani sheep wool is that it never fades. The colour intensifies as the sheep ages. The shawl is so resilient, that if a herdsman was wearing it over him and a snake passed, the creature could not possibly bite the herdsman through the shawl."

The community's way of life though recently came under threat as the Deccani-breed of sheep almost became extinct in Telangana. "When the government introduced red Nellore sheep from coastal Andhra Pradesh into Telangana for meat production, the indigenous breed which gives rich wool, started diminishing," says Yaddagiri, 32, another member of the community.

"We have now revived the breeding of these sheep in three districts of Medhak, Sangareti and Siddhipet. Collectively there may be now about 6,000 Deccani sheep in that area."

Moving from Telengana to Gujarat, one comes into contact with the Maldhari community. Located in the Kutch region of Gujarat, these animal rearers reveal that they share a very close relation with weavers or Vankar community in the area. "Maldharis and Vankars share a close bond. We weave clothes and shawls for them while they used to give us milk in return. However, with passing times, this barter system has ceased and market-based economy has prevailed," says Hitesh Vankar, 22 .

Other pastoralist communities from Jammu and Kashmir (Bhakarwas), Himachal Pradesh (Gaddi), Changpas (Ladakh), Drokpas (Sikkim), Maldharis (Kutch), Raikas (Rajasthan) amongst others, are also featured in the exhibition.

The organisers claim that today the population of pastoralists in India is around 34 lakh but yet they find little mention. "In recent times, pastoralists barely find any mention, even though their way of life is under threat."

"Their grazing lands are fast being acquired by the government. They are no longer being able to take routes that they took earlier for the grazing of livestock. While we talk about farmers, people rarely mention pastoralists who contribute so much to conserving the biodiversity of the country," said Bhavna Jaimini, an architect and one of the organizers at 'Living Lightly.'

Agreeing with the organisers, Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi said there was also a need to preserve India's heritage. "There is a need to curate and preserve the art of weaving fabrics from indigenous materials properly and this can be best done through a textile museum. Currently, there is no textile museum in India and I have been lobbying for it for some time now."