Gond Folktale | tribal-story

Gaatha project was originally conjured only for researching and documenting the rapid erosion of Indian craft clusters and heritage. However, we soon learnt from the artisans themselves that need was not to do research alone, but to restore ‘pride and serious commercial opportunity’ in their ecosystem. Today Gaatha thus aims to bring the lost respect and wealth back to these beautiful and aesthetically rich Indian handicraft clusters. These researches are important because just like Industrial goods sell on ‘features’, crafts sell on the processes / stories / heritage that go into making them.

We should give crafts a fair chance, someone is right now merrily making something for us, singing a folk song, in a humble house, deep inside India.

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Research & Archive: Indian Crafts

Myths & Stories

A Gond folktale of Mahua

May 10, 2013

Long ago a Gond leader was taking a stroll in the countryside. He was looking for something exquisite that would amuse his guests and make him an ideal host. After a hard day’s walk, he found a pleasant place to sit, under a Mahua tree. As he went closer to the tree, he saw a pit filled with water and Mahua flowers.

More flowers gathered into that pit with every brush of the wind. There were birds sitting by the edge of it, carefree and chirping, fluttering their wings with gaiety. The leader sat besides the pit and drank the water. In no time he drifted into a state of joy and was dancing around the tree like those birds. He felt all the more connected with the world and concluded his quest with the discovery of Mahua.