Phuh Phatara
In the early 1980s, in the village of Phuh Phatara in the Ambikapur region of the newly formed state of Chhattisgarh (formerly part of Madhya Pradesh), a woman named Sonabai of the Rajwar tribal community started decorating her home with windows, niches (gokhala), lattices (jali), etc., to alleviate the boredom of being confined inside the house all day.
Artists who went to collect tribal artworks for the collection of the newly built 'Bharat Bhavan' in Bhopal were mesmerized by the works in Sonabai's home. They drew the attention of the late Jagdish Swaminathan, Director of the Roopankar Museum, and through his efforts, Sonabai received the President's Award.
Since then, in Phuh Phatara and several surrounding villages, many women have adopted the method of creating art forms like Sonabai as a new tradition, and diversity is increasingly being added to it.
This photograph is signed, inscribed and stamped by the artist. The paper size is 13 x 19 inches, image size is 11 x 17.5 inches.
Signed as A/P (Artist Proof).
