Back in 13th century Telangana, Cheriyal scroll painting was an integral form of audio-visual entertainment, bringing to life stories of local gods, and chapters of the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas and community lore. Cheriyal painter Rakesh D Nakash tells us, "Storytellers would take these scrolls to villages, and sing and narrate the stories using them as a visual aid, much like a movie." After the Nizam's rule began in the 16th century, the painters' community started being called Nakashi. "Nakshi means fine work or craft in Urdu. That's why it's also called Cheriyal Nakashi painting," he elaborates. The master craftsman, a seventh generation Cheriyal painter, will share many such facts about the artform in an online workshop hosted by Pune-based social enterprise
Truly Tribal.

The three-day event is part of a series of tutorials that Truly Tribal has been conducting to give artists of traditional artforms, such as Gond, Madhubani and Pattachitra, a source of alternate income during the pandemic. "We work with over 100 traditional artists. Our aim has been to give traditional Indian art of all kinds a platform. So, we trained craftsmen working with us in conducting online classes and kicked off the sessions in April," shares founder Shweta Menon.