Handpainted GI-tagged Cheriyal art on my T-shirt

Cheriyal artists from Telangana are making handpainted GI-tagged Cheriyal art on my T-shirt

You have seen Cheriyal art on walls, wall hangings and canvas. Get ready to wear or gift T-shirts with Cheriyal art, done by master craftsmen from Telangana. Artists Rakesh and brother Vinay Nakash Dhanalakota, along with their friend Subhajit Saha, a GI and IP practitioner, have come up with handpainted tshirts with Cheriyal art. 

I visited Rakesh’s and Vinay’s home at Boduppal’s Sri Sai Colony in Secunderabad . Rakesh Nakash Dhanalakota, his parents (Vaikuntam and Vanaja) and his siblings are all busy with colours, outlines and sketches. If one has drawn the outline, another adds a dash of bright saffron to the background; yet another one paints the borders, while someone else adds the ornaments and so on.

Rakesh’s is one of the families working to keep the tradition of Cheriyal art alive. This week, their target is to complete over 100 pieces of A5 Cheriyal artwork for corporate gifting. Watching them at work as a unit demonstrates that each one of them knows the art of Cheriyal painting.  

Striving to keep alive the tradition of this GI-tagged art (Cheriyal painting got the GI tag in 2006, the Dhanalakota family are not only painting the art form but also constantly thinking of ways to make the art form relevant to everyday lives. This is exactly why they are working towards wearable Cheriyal art. 

Subhajit, who initiated the idea, says, “Diversification is the only way dying art forms can remain relevant. Fusion of art in various forms has proved to work wonders for artisans and craftsmen. With Rakesh and Vinay, we are working on thematic, festival-based T-shirts. During Sankranti, we introduced Sankranti-themed T-shirts. For everyday gifting, they are working on rural landscapes. With every Telangana festival, they will come up with a festival theme line.” 

Rakesh still had a few T-shirts to complete; one T-shirt with a pencil outline of Bonalu hangs on a chair. Rakesh is not just an artist but also an educator of sorts on Cheriyal art. He quickly switches the postcard he is painting with the T-shirt. He says, “We use watercolours on paper because it dries quickly. On cloth, however, we cannot use watercolours. So we are working with acrylic colours. Acrylic paints take longer to dry and need more than two coats.” 

Vinay adds, “We are painting on cotton T-shirts , and the painting will last up to 15-20 washes. The idea is to make Cheriyal art visible in our everyday lives. Painting on walls and canvas is fixed. One cannot always carry it with them. A T-shirt with Cheriyal art will grab eyeballs, making more and more people curious about it. As artists, we have to evolve from masks and wall paintings (the taditional avenues of Cheriyal art).”