Berhampur: At a time when many traditional art forms are fading under the weight of modernity, a painter in the Silk City has kept tribal art alive and thriving. Dinabandhu Soren, who developed a love for tribal painting as a child, has dedicated over 15 years to preserving and popularising these indigenous art forms both in India and abroad.
Today, he works as a master trainer, helping others, especially women, to earn a living through painting. His works have brought international recognition to tribal art, making it widely admired overseas.
Recently, the state government granted Geographical Indication (GI) tags to nine tribal folk art forms of Odisha, including Lanjia Saura, Sorai, Gond, Dongria Kondh, Kutia Kondh, Santhal, Kohla, Juang and Oraon paintings.
Dinabandhu specialises in Saura, Sorai, Kohla, Juang and Gond traditions, adapting them onto various media for display and sale. This has made the tribal art forms popular in foreign countries. He began formal training in 2009–10 with a diploma at Gandamunda Art and Craft Training Centre, where he also started research on tribal painting.
He credits Bhikari Maharana, a palm-leaf manuscript artist, and Gokul Bihari Pattnayak, a pattachitra artist, for inspiring him to pursue this path.
Later, he evinced interest in learning more about tribal paintings. Currently, Dinabandhu creates tribal artworks on 62 different surfaces and materials. These include tussar silk, canvas, wood, stone, sarees, shirts, kurtas, kurtis, and household interior designs, extending his art into everyday essentials.
At present, he is training at least 30 women at Tata Colony on the outskirts of the city under the aegis of Srujanika Trust, supported by Tata Steel.
The women are not only learning painting but also becoming self-reliant through the art form. Dinabandhu’s paintings have even been purchased by the Norwegian Embassy.
He showcased tribal art during a live broadcast at the G20 Summit and promoted it across 20 countries while participating in the Jagriti Yatra. Looking ahead, Dinabandhu said his goal is to establish a tribal folk art museum.
