India is home to a thick populace of indigenous masses and tribal natives spread across its length and breadth. Sad but true, these large number of inhabitants are still untouched by the boon of urban civilisation or the benefits of a modern lifestyle. They seem to still languish in the dark ages, while the world rushes ahead at its own hurtling pace.
Constituting over a bulk of 84.4 millions, “the motherland” statistically has the densest communities of endangered clans and ethnic tribes standing on the brink of gradual extinction. They still depend on the ancient occupations of hunting, agriculture and fishing to feed in their mouths and their families which is so reminiscent of the cavemen of prehistoric times. Close-knitted by nature, these clusters of gregarious population are proud to possess their own culture, traditions, languages and lifestyles. But unfortunately in want of proper support and a succour to provide sustenance to their exquisite handicrafts and resources in the mainstream arena, they still remain marginalised and widely cut off from a consumerist society which could otherwise be an ideal platform to market their valuable products and offer them with a commercial vantage point.
At this critical juncture, Jaarok comes forward as a God-sent Samaritan to pitch in their painstaking efforts and springboard the lesser-known tribal crafts in the court of popular fashions. Its core concept is to bridge the gap between aesthetic, traditional tribal arts and the more contemporary, higher, civilised city art is phenomenal. No wonder, the art-stable still acts as a glimmer of hope and keeps it afloat too.
But who are behind this banner of Jaarok? Let’s take a look. Embarked upon this mission is a group of well-meaning people who intend to explore the sphere of tribal artforms of major Indian tribes and put a stamp of recognition to their faceless identities. It is undeniable that tribal artistes immensely hold an inimitable power of craftsmanship in their grip. If this art can be patented and protected for their own good, then nothing like it. It will boost their sustainability and offer them a permanent avenue of earning a regular income.
Jaarok, as a concern of painters, works on delving into various kinds of tribal arts throughout India and West Bengal.
Conceptualised in 2002, Jaarok was founded by its two predominant members, Ananya Bhattacharya, who has extensively worked on the tribal mask-art and painter Tamojit Bhattacharya. “We are creating various items of daily use for sale. Our primary aim is to fuse tribal and contemporary crafts to woo the world market. You see, the concept of Jaarok lies in merchandising the output of day-to-day utility articles which is borne out of a perfect admixture of diverse tribal artforms of several local artisans working with us. In fact, Jaarok can customise an array of tailor-made products on demand as and accordingly the orders are placed by our steady clients. In that case, the result could be more unusual and quaint and digress from a conventional, orthodoxy mode. The hand-crafted artefacts could appear a way funkier, slicker or even bizarre on the surface,” shares Ananya. With a two-pronged objective in mind, a parity has been therefore prevailed between creativity and affordability.
“We wanted to enrich our basket with original Indian paintings, hand-woven specimens and finely etched-out crafts, but all at a reasonable price-band. Art can be cost-effective if it only appeals to a high-end segment of corporates and moneyed classes for interior decor. We wished to do away with the tag of niche affluence by slashing down the rates to raid a mid-income group buyer’s reach. The purchase-power of a curator or an upmarket patron may not tally with an ordinary art-gazer’s pocket but the latter’s appreciation of art cannot be ignored on any count. A bonafide aficionado may hail from any walk of life, irrespective of his social position,” opines Ananya.
She explains the meaning of the term Jaarok: “Well, Jaarok as a word means an oxidising agent. Scientifically, oxygen is a life-giving and saving gaseous element which is a prime example of oxidising agents. Just the way an oxygenated air breathes a fresh lease of life into the bodies of every living organism, in the same vein, Jaarok on the artscape has been committed on principle to provide oxygen to these backward masses and their lesser-known art and crafts. In its 10-year long journey, Jaarok as an art-platform has unconditionally infused life into the world of anonymous artistes and their uniquely designed unpublicised, unfamiliar arts. Their untiring, selfless task has been carefully channelised in the direction of reducing a wide fissure consistently existing between the haves and the have-nots; celebrated and unrecognised; under-the-spotlight and gathering-dust-in-decrepit conditions.