Jivya Soma Mashe (1934 – 2018)

Vikas Harish

“The white chownk on the village walls were my escape, just as was the forest and the adjoining mountain. They were my dream space, restful in a World of brute force. I dreamt to paint as those village women” (Jivya Soma Mashe, 2009)

While he prospered as an artist, his fame brought in money that saw the first concrete home built on the village land, the family now has many, and still live together, Jivya’s sons, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, all under the same roof.

At an interview for a French documentary in 2009, looking at images of the paintings from Bhimbeteka Caves he said “…these were made by our people. They were adivasis, just like me. Our name comes from the ownership of our lands, Warla”. Till his demise Jivya remained anchored in this identity, to the land, his community roots, their culture and his attachment to family values.

When all art of a contemporaneous period is ‘contemporary’ artists like Jivya brought a universality to divisional politics that existed in the curatorship for these arts. Even more than in the country of his birth, where his tribal identity took fore, he was celebrated as a contemporary artist on foreign shores. Amongst the many awards and accolades he was conferred a National Award for Tribal Arts in 1976, the Prince Claus Award in 2009 and was given the Indian civilian honour, Padma Shri, in 2011.

Jivya began to prepare the white rice paste for the women to paint. He remained close to them, helping them prepare the walls with a mixture of cow dung and mud-wash ochre. Every marriage at the village was celebrated with a specially designed chownk, a rectangular consecrated space created to welcome the blessings of the divinity for the conjugal life of the newly married couple. Jivya came under ridicule for wanting to practice an art form that was the realm of women. This was nay a deterrent, for the paintings were the only demesne where he found solace.Jivya began to prepare the white rice paste for the women to paint. He remained close to them, helping them prepare the walls with a mixture of cow dung and mud-wash ochre. Every marriage at the village was celebrated with a specially designed chownk, a rectangular consecrated space created to welcome the blessings of the divinity for the conjugal life of the newly married couple. Jivya came under ridicule for wanting to practice an art form that was the realm of women. This was nay a deterrent, for the paintings were the only demesne where he found solace.