Thakar tribals used to get royal patronage to perform art during the reign of the king. These Thakar tribal people used to go from village to village and play with ‘Kalsutri Dolls’. While performing this art for their livelihood, they also worked as a spy for the king and informed the king about his enemies.
The contribution of ‘Thakar tribal’ artists in India’s freedom struggle would remain significant. The people of the tribal Thakar community provided information about the British to the leaders of the freedom movement and the revolutionaries. Kalsutri Puppet played in villages and entertained the people. Apart from that, kalsutri used to tell people about the oppression of the British government, and the revolutionaries’ uprising against the British rule and created awareness among the people. They also encouraged the Indian people to participate in the freedom struggle. They used to bring thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi to the people.
Even after 75 years since independence, this ‘Thakar Tribal Art’ still survives as the means of livelihood for this community today. Even today, this art is used to convey government schemes to the people. For example, the Thakar tribal art is used to create public awareness in various social activities like the epidemic disease of the corona, tuberculosis, diseases like AIDS, vaccination, addiction campaign, Cleanliness Abhiyan, etc.
In recognition of his contribution to the field, the Government of India has honored Parshuram Gangavane by giving him Padma Shri in the year 2021.
Source: Arun Vishwanath Terse, DRP, CCRT