Many shades of the forest: Warli artist Dinesh Barap works magic with his paint brush

On the periphery of Mumbai, in the popular Sanjay Gandhi National Park, are a few hundred families of tribal people who are culturally rich and have much to offer. An example of the thriving talent here is 22-year-old Dinesh Barap, who belongs to the Warli tribe. His fascination with Warli art started when he was just four. Barap explains, “My grandmother was a brilliant artist. I  tried my hand at it and became better at it under her guidance.” His initial canvases were the walls of his house as well as of his neighbours; the Warlis paint their home walls during weddings and on other festive occasions.  

Over the years, Dinesh’s canvas has expanded to include unusual surfaces  in the forests. “I have painted on wild kaayri (Entada gigas), dried wild mushrooms, rocks, bamboo shoots, small pieces of wood and even on discarded items.” His affinity for nature can also be seen from the fact that he uses natural ingredients to create his artworks, resulting in an eco-friendly painting. “The colours I make are natural and are made from flowers that are found in the wild,” he says. “I use Junglee Abuli flower to make red, Ringdi flower for yellow, any kind of leaf to produce green, ripe mango for ochre, rice flour for white colour, and to make blue and black colours, I use flowers of the same colour.” He also uses cow dung, mud, turmeric, vermillion, geru, charcoal and wood ash. 

Warli artist Dinesh Barap's Warli painting on kaayri (Entada gigas)

The colour-making process is tedious and time consuming, but that doesn't deter Barap from creating a stock. The flowers have to be dried for 3 to 4 days, then they are ground using a mortar and pestle into a grainy powder. This is then filtered, using a cloth, into a fine powder, which is then used in the painting.

Warli artist Dinesh Barap's Warli painting on wild mushrooms

What's also interesting is his source of inspiration for his art. While  the  art form draws inspiration from the forests and the day to day lives and activities of the Warli tribe, Barap goes a step ahead. “My paintings come from folklore from my community and from the stories that I hear from the village elders who recall the landscape of the forest from their childhood. Each one has a different depiction and I try to paint it according to their narration,” he says. And this, any anthropologist will tell you, is a fine way to preserve heritage.

Warli artist Dinesh Barap painting a vase 

Barap is trying to promote Warli art to lot of people with the help of NGOs such as Committed Communities Development Trust. Apart from exhibitions, some NGOs have roped him in to paint jute bags, keychains and other accessories. He states that four of his paintings have been bought by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and another four by Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray, at various exhibitions.

Barap teaches Warli art to students of Matrubhoomi Education Society High School in Kandivali, paints for exhibitions conducted by NGOs. He teaches 15 tribal kids in his pada (hamlet) how to paint, providing all the materials free, and describes this effort as “fulfilling”. “I teach them to paint on paper and cloth. When I have to paint the walls of any home in the village, I take them along. It boosts their confidence and gives them a sense of achievement.”

There’s an altruistic motive to teaching his people. “There are several people in my pada who are uneducated and unemployed. Currently, I am the only Warli artist here. I want  more children to learn this authentic art form so that they too are able to earn a living from this. After all, we are the  children of the forest.”