Masked Narratives: Manifestations of a Disaster

Abstract

Cloth has been a part of our lives for millennia, as second skin. In our climate controlled human-made environments clothes are also donned as symbolic protection and as engagement with other humans. As a symbol, cloth tells stories of who we are and what we have experienced. Disasters engender change and give birth to new expressions. We have seen the Kutch embroiderers create narrative tapestries on cloth of the aftermath of the earthquake well after the it was over. Unlike other disasters the corona pandemic has not ended. How does one narrate something that has not ended? The face mask of the pandemic may have stories to tell in the future. The mask has made the journey from a medical functional protection to a symbolic engagement and narrative canvas in a matter of months. The cloth mask can be washed and worn like our clothes which makes the wearing of it feel “normal” to become a part of our “everyday.” Adapting to the new “norm,” craftspeople have come to treat the mask as a new canvas on which to portray their art using motifs and elements from their existing visual narratives. Masked Narratives is an attempt to look at the cloth mask and the meanings that it constructs and reveals.

Keywords:

• mask
• object
• image
• disasters
• crafts
• narratives

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 Purdah and Ghunghat are religious and cultural forms of face veiling used by married women from Muslim as well as several other communities.

2 The choice of examples for this essay were made based on the author’s long term association with the artists and who were comfortable discussing their work over the phone. The author values their honesty and time given for long conversations and their insights.

3 In a personal communication the artist had with the author, Anil Vangad shared his anguish about the lack of information on the virus and the impact of it on people in villages, on migrants and the economy.

4 The Phad is a portable shrine in the form of a horizontal painted scroll on cloth which is painted by the Joshi community and performed ritualistically by a Bhopa storyteller for their hereditary patrons (John D Smith, The epic of Pabuji 2005).

5 Mata ni Pachedi literally translates as behind the goddess, are temple hangings that served as portable temples for its nomadic or semi-nomadic community for several centuries.

6 Susiyo Pir (or Shokiyo Pir as described by Kalyan Joshi), soaked up all the water in the well and was slayed by Pabuji to provide water for Deval’s cattle (John D Smith The epic of Pabuji 2005, 127).

7 Rakshabandhan is an Indian festival that celebrates renewed bonds between sisters and brothers. The bond is signified by a Rakhi-thread tied by sisters on their brothers’ wrists in exchange of a promise to be protected by them.

8 Anil Vangad in a telephonic communication, explained how the bat figure is an element in Warli paintings is shown as a dangerous figure; found on trees and need to be exterminated immediately. Here the figure has been conflated with the bat from Chinese food market that ostensibly led to the spread of the virus worldwide.

9 Here, winged spirits are seen having a conversation with the corona. They are showering flowers on the corona as they do for the gods and goddesses in a temple painting (Sabnani and Ghai 2021).

10 Nandini C. Sen (September 2020) https://thewire.in/culture/corona-mata-and-the-pandemic-goddesses.

11 Sanchari Samanta (2020) How a goddess called Corona Devi came to be worshipped in West Bengal The Hindu June 10th 2020 accessed on 25th Feb. 2021

12 Sitala Ma is the goddess of smallpox. Several ancient texts describe her as the one riding an ass, carries a broom in her right hand and a winnowing fan in her left (see, Nicholas 1981).

13 In a telephonic conversation (3rd March 2021) Anil Vangad spoke about the importance of the sun and the moon in Adivasi life. The sun symbolizes time and hope but in the past year the corona has taken up the place of the sun. The day begins and ends with the thought of the virus and it affects people of all faiths. Here the people are offering her masks, sanitizers, vaccine and healthy food to appease her, like they would a deity but Anil does not consider the Corona as a deity. The blue background represents water which is considered a great purifier and though not used in Warli paintings he has used it as a therapeutic symbol.

14 India Craft Week (ICW) is a city-wide celebration of exceptional international quality that binds art, design, and culture. For more information See https://indiacraftweek.com/.

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Notes on contributors

Nina Sabnani

Nina Sabnani is an artist and storyteller who uses film, illustration and writing to tell her stories. Her research interests include exploring the dynamics between words and images in book illustration and films. Her approach to film making is collaborative, ethnographic and participatory. Her animated films have received several awards including the Rajatkamal National award from the president of India in 2016. She received the lifetime achievement award for Illustration from Tata Trusts at the Tata Lit Live Festival at Mumbai, 2018. In 2021, the Animation Masters Summit conferred Nina with the Legend of Indian Animation award. Nina is Professor at the IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay. [email protected]