Dotted Lines - A Visual Autobiography of Bhuri Bai the Bhil Artist

It is always a pleasure to read about the rich heritage of the country we live in. Learning about art and the artist always fascinates me and this book Dotted Lines is a visual autobiography of a Bhil artist Bhuri Bai and it is told through drawings of the Bhil art, one of the oldest tribal art forms of India.

Dotted Lines

Synopsis:

Bhuri bhai was born in Pitol village of Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh, India. She belongs to the Bhil tribe, one of the oldest tribal communities in India. Her house has a huge courtyard and they keep water on a wooden stand outside the house which is called a palindi. She narrates how she started going to the fields with her parents at the age of seven and the game she enjoyed playing with her cousins. The Bhil tribes believed that if they painted their houses with scenes of nature they would receive the blessings of Dev Pithora, their god. And this is how painting became an important ritual for the Bhils.

How did the badwa or the village priest make their Bhil art paintings with natural colours? How they celebrate other festivals, various ways of their prayers to god, Bhuri bhai’s travel from village to city, from a daily wage labourer to an artist is the rest of the story.

My thoughts :

Learning about people and their stories helps us to connect. We get to know about their world, the triumphs and the difficult path they travelled. Bhuri bhai’s creative views about her community, her village, and her traditions are beautifully illustrated by both Bhuri bhai and Debjani Mukherjee. From starting her new life in the city as a daily wage labourer to becoming the “Padma Shri” awardee ( Fourth highest civilian award in India ) Bhuri bhai’s story is an inspiration to everyone to work hard and follow their passion, no matter what.