Jharkhand tribal girls take to sculpting as a career option

Jharkhands adolescent tribal girls are being trained at a Tribal Culture Centre (TCC) here to be master sculptors in the world of fine arts.

By Ajay Singh

Jamshedpur, Aug.9 : Jharkhand's adolescent tribal girls are being trained at a Tribal Culture Centre (TCC) here to be master sculptors in the world of fine arts.

At least sixteen girls are presently being trained at the centre, which functions under the auspices of the Tata Group.

The girls hail from backward tribes like the Santhal and the Ho, which are confined to remote regions like Parsudih, Karandih and Jamtada. The training is aimed at empowering tribal women free of cost.

Students are being encouraged to learn the nuances of sculpting for use in a vocation at a later stage in their lives.

Today, these students say they can comfortably sculpt deities of Ganapati and Durga in a fortnight's time.

"I am lucky that I have got an opportunity to learn this art. I have learnt to make paperweights and coasters, besides statues of Hindu deities," said Gayatri Purti, a student.

Most of the students wish to share their expertise with others in due course of time.

"I have decided to teach other girls of my village the art of stone statue making, and I will take it up professionally to earn a living," said Mannu Sundi, another student.

The girls are also being taught creative arts such as how to make whittle grain-soft stones and design different decorative shapes like pen stands and flowerpots etc.

Ajit Ojha, a faculty member at the TCC, said that the year-long training is aimed at economically empowering the girls.

"These girls are coming from Jharkhand to learn the art on the advice of women empowerment organisations (Mahila Mandals).They can earn up to rupees 10,000 rupees per month," claimed Ojha.

The TCC would help the girls to get exposure through exhibitions and marketing of their creations at national and international events.

The TCC was set up with the objective of improving the economic status of tribals in Jharkhand.

ANI