'Aadi-Chitra', a collection of tribal paintings at Tribal Welfare Museum, Masab Tank, Hyderabad

Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED) is an agency of the Government of India under Ministry of Tribal Affairs, which is primarily engaged in the development and marketing of tribal traditional products including handicrafts and natural products in order to improve the livelihoods of the tribal communities by creating a market and business opportunities for them based on their culture, traditional skills whilst ensuring fair and equitable remuneration. As part of its marketing initiatives, TRIFED has already established a chain of 40 unique showrooms called "TRIBES INDIA” across the country. TRIFED has also been organizing exhibitions at different locations for promoting sales of tribal art and craft items in different States. As a step in this direction, TRIFED is Tribal paintings invariably depict positive themes and imagination as subject, ranging from religious to secular, from Gods and Goddesses to animals and birds, lifecycles from birth, death, marriage, farming, harvest, celebration, and the five basic elements of Mother Earth. These themes and subjects are presented with immaculate precision that the purity and unadulterated love of tribals for the nature evolves into a unique style that reflects the history and culture of the respective tribe. It is this uniqueness which we are trying to project through “Aadi- Chitra". The idea is not only to bring tribal paintings from the oblivion to the mainstream of art and help tribal artists in earning their livelihood, but also to restore, preserve and reinforce the tribal art in its forte so that the traditional farm, flow and flavour undergo least dilution. This exhibition presents creative expressions of about 40 tribal artists belonging to Gond, Bhil, Rathwa, Saura, Warli and Muria tribes of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Orissa, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh respectively.  During the 1980s, a few names like Jivya Soma Mashe, Jangar Singh Shyam, Taideo Baghel, Bhuri Bai and Pema Fatya made their presence felt in national and international arena of art on their own. In 1990s and 2000s, tribal artists supported by TRIFED like Rameswar Munda and Paresh Rathwa have also been able to prove their mettle. Today, TRIFED is extending institutional support to such initiatives so that more and more talented young tribal artists can come forward. Besides exhibitions, Handloom and handicrafts trainings, TRIFED also organizes training workshops for improving the skill & knowledge of tribals in Handloom, Art & Crafts tribal origin. Further training on scientific collection, processing, storage of Minor Forest Produce (MFPs) like Honey, Gum Karaya, Mahua Flower, Lac etc. which enable them to enhance quantity and quality of their MFP collection. TRIFED through these initiatives is striving to associate more and more of tribals and develop their product-line for marketing through its network of TRIBES INDIA showrooms and souvenir shops so that benefit of TRIFED's operations reaches maximum number of tribals. One such TRIBES INDIA Showroom is functioning at Chenetha Bhavan, Nampally, Hyderabad & Tribes India Art Gallery, Shilparamam, Madhapur, Hitech City, Hyderabad - 500 081 where variety of handicraft items made by the tribal across the country alongwith the tribal paintings are  available for sale. Another such showroom is likely to be opened somewhere in and around Masab Tank area is the near future. This "Aadi-Chitra" exhibition will be an excellent blend of artistic ecstasy, cultural confluence and emergence of new opportunity. The encouragement, participation and valued guidance of art lovers will be an inspiration for these budding, talented tribal artists so that they not only carry forward the tradition of tribal art, but also enriching it and keeping it alive. TS24x7.com Team