About Thakar Adivasi Kala Angan (TAKA)

Thakar community is considered to be a scheduled tribe with a population of 2000 and the same is sub-divided into thirty six (36) sub-castes or group-castes. Many individuals from this tribe were craftsmen of one type or the other. The main occupation was to wander from village to village and entertain people by narrating episodes from Ramayana and the Mahabharata through pictures, puppets and other visual aids.

The language they used for narration is Marathi. They also have learnt Puranas like Harivijay, Ramvijay, Bhagwat Puran, Pandav Pratap etc. They make use of the musical instruments like tuntune, tal, ekatari etc. as accompainments to their narration. This narration is mostly lyrical.

Shri. Parshuram Gangavane founded Thakar Adivasi Kala Angan (TAKA) Museum & Art Gallery in the year 2006, which showcases Thakar Tribal Folk Arts of Sindhudurg district. A pioneer institute for training in Chitrakathi style of Painting in Maharashtra, the art itself is more than 400 years old. 

Like Shri. Parshuram Gangavane his sons, Eknath & Chetan Gangavane are also contributing towards the development of Chitrakathi Paintings and preserve the ancient art form of Pinguli.

They also founded Vishram Thakar Adivasi Kala Aangan Charitable Trust in 2007 with a vision of conserving age old Thakar Tribal and Folk Art and spreading it to various parts of the country and overseas. Through this trust, Mr. Gangavane & his family, conducts various training classes for schools, colleges and art lovers.

There Are Eleven Distinct Art Forms Of Thakar Heritage:
CHITRAKATHI
STRING PUPPET SHOW
LEATHER / SHADOW PUPPETEY
PANGUL BAEL
FUGHDYA
POTH RAJA
DONA GEET
RADHA NRUTYA
POWADA
PINGLI
GONDHAL

Here are some brief descriptions of a few among them:

KALSUTRI (PUPPET SHOW)
The string puppets about 1.5ft., in size are carved out of a wood and colorfully clothed. Their faces are painted representing Mythological Heroes, Queens, Demons & Humble servants. The nimble fingers of artist along with the singers and drum players create a fantastic three dimensional drama full of spirit.

CHITRAKATHI
A series of paintings describing traditional stories is claimed to be with the Thakar community for over 500 years. The stories belonged to Ramayana, Mahabharata and Nandi Puran. By showing a painting and singing alongside, the artist builds vivid narratives. The paintings are usually 12″x18″ and the paints are from natural resources.

SHADOW PUPPETRY
These two dimensional profiles of Mythological people cast haunting, colorful and vibrant shadows on a screen of thin cloth. The performance is usually at night, back-lit by huge oil lamp. With the compliment of read instrument and singing; spell binding hours go by. The puppets are made out of leather beaten paper thin and painted by natural dyes cut and perforated.

PANGUL BAEL (BULLOCK SHOW)
The secret bull along with his master, the drum beater, roam around from house to house and village to village, blessing people and receiving alms. The bull is draped and ornamented with interpret embroidery bells and peacock feathers.

Video Credits: Chetan Gangavane

Video Credits: Maharashtra Tourism