Cultural significance of gifts given by PM Modi to Quad colleagues
Recently, during the Quad Summit held in Tokyo, Prime Minister Modi presented gifts to the heads of states of the US, Australia and Japan to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and art forms.
Gifts given and their cultural significance:
Rogan painting
- The Indian Prime Minister presented a ‘white Rogan’ to the Prime Minister of Japan during the Quad meeting.
- Rogan is actually a form of painting done on cloth. It is believed to be more than four centuries old. At present, it is protected by only one family at Nirona in Kutch, Gujarat.
- Rogan is a Persian word. It means varnish or oil. Boiled oil and paints made from vegetable dyes are used in this art.
- A special paste made of castor oil is used in this art. Geometric motifs are generally preferred in this.
Sanjhi Art Panel
- In a gift to US President Joe Biden, the Prime Minister presented an intricate ‘Sanjhi Art Panel’ based on the theme of ‘Thakurani Ghat’ in Mathura.
- It is to be known that Thakurani Ghat is one of the most famous Ghats on the banks of holy river Yamuna in Gokul.
- ‘Sanjhi’ is the art of designing by hand on paper and this art form originated from the ‘Krishna cult’.
- In this art form ‘stencils’ are made based on events from the life of the deity and these stencils are cut by hand using scissors or blades and the delicate sanjhi is often held with a thin sheet of paper.
- ‘Sanjhi’ was popularized by Vaishnava temples in the 15th and 16th centuries and was practiced by Brahmin priests.
Gond Art Paintings:
- Prime Minister Modi presented a ‘Gond art painting’ of Madhya Pradesh origin to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
- Gond painting is one of the most admired tribal art forms. These paintings made by dots and lines have been a part of the illustrated art on the walls and floors of the Gonds.
- It is used in the construction and reconstruction of every house with locally available natural dyes and materials such as charcoal, colored clay, plant sap, leaves, cow dung and limestone powder.
- In Madhya Pradesh, the work of ‘Gond art’ is done by the Gond community.
- The origin of this art is found in the paintings of Jangarh Shyam, who began to paint tribal oral myths and legends extensively on the walls of houses in Patangarh village in the 1970s and 80s.
Source – The Hindu
