5 ethnic art forms that need to be preserved

The art of puppetry

According to some scholars, puppetry is as old as 3000 years. There are various forms of puppetry that we don’t even know about. We have shadow puppetry, Kathaputli from Rajasthan, Kundhei from Orissa and more. But the sad part is its hardly seen and praised now, specially in the urban areas.

Parsi embroidery

This art form is as old as the bronze age. It draws its influences from European, Chinese, Persian and Indian culture. The declining Parsi population is one of the major reasons why this art form is losing ground.

Toda embroidery

This belong to the Toda tribe that resides in the Nilgiri Hills. The embroidery is basically done on cloth with square-shaped deceptions that are one of a kind. You will mostly notice it on wallets, cell phone covers, stoles, bed sheets, etc.

Roghan painting

It is surprisingly done by only 6 surviving people in India right now. The Khatri family living in the Kutch area of Rajasthan have been the practitioners of the art for seven generations. This is done with castor oil paints and a 6-inch thin metal rod.

Patola Sarees

These involve Ikat work and are the most expensive sarees in the world. These classic Patola sarees can survive for about 300 years and retain the colour. IT takes more than 70 days for the coloring of the silk threads.