It had been four days, and we couldn’t stop our feet from travelling further. The hunger for Warli Art took us to Dahanu, which happens to be one of its birthplaces.
Dahanu is a small ‘green’ town with interesting people, amazing Warli artists and “oh-so-good” burgers. And trust us when we say that it was the best burger we’ve ever had. Thanks to Le Marcel and their amazing chef, Prachi. And moreover, thanks to Bhavesh who not only introduced us to the town but also helped us experience the real Dahanu.
Moving on to our mission of exploring Warli art, we got a chance to meet a young Warli artist, Dilip Patel who is also a tattoo artist. Despite his young age, he has achieved great finesse in Warli art which reflects in his paintings. Another artist who is not afraid to experiment with his Warli paintings.
He showed us his studio and in the spirit, a Chokdian got a temporary Warli tattoo.
Again keeping the tradition alive, this time we got Dilip to depict the “Titanic” movie in Warli style.
The next day we were even more excited as it was going to be the final showdown, the legend for the grand finale. We got to meet ‘Padma Shri’ Jivya Soma Mahse. The man who pioneered Warli art among men at an early age of 7 and dedicated his life to Warli traditions; the man behind the revolution. And for this voluminous contribution, he was awarded the Padma Shri.
This man has it all. His paintings are just a class apart. What makes him so special is his age and experience. He has witnessed stories of the Warli tribe right from the time of Britishers and has depicted many of them in his paintings. He has also travelled around the globe spreading this glorious Indian art form.
Despite his age, the passion for the warli art hasn’t faded a bit. He still picks up his brush at the age of 82 and paints his heart out.
Conversing with such a personality was an overwhelming experience. As he only speaks the local dialect, his grandson Kishore Mashe aided by translating our conversation.
In spite of getting discharged from hospital a few days back, he was really enthusiastic about sharing Warli stories with us. He mentioned that Warli paintings are not only about the iconic Warli traditions like the tarpa dance but also about depicting the fables of the Warli tribe. After an exhilarating and enriching conversation with the legend, we bid goodbyes to him and his family and headed to the Dahanu beach. Witnessing the sunset on Dahanu Beach was the icing on the cake. A perfect end to our Chokdi Journey.
Now we head back home and work on bringing to you our crazy adaptation of Warli Art.
Special Thanks:
Bhavesh: A fellow couch-surfer who took us around Dahanu and made sure we would experience the best of Dahanu!
Prachi: The chef at Le Marcel! Best burgers we’ve ever had!
