The name on artist D. Vaikuntam’s business card would be incomplete without the title ‘Nakash’. Almost all his family members, who are involved in Nakashi paintings, have adopted this suffix. Based in Hyderabad, national award-winning artist, Vaikuntam along with his 3 children is completely immersed in promoting this rare art form which is native to Telangana.
Vaikuntam shares an interesting story behind the family’s legacy and the origin of the Nakashi name. “My forefathers have been practising this art for centuries. One of the Muslim rulers from the past admired our painting style and named it Nakashi and gave us the name Nakash. Since then, our family members have retained the name.”
In the 16th century or slightly later, the Nakashi style of art was extended to scroll paintings to complement the colourful narratives of community-based Telugu storytellers. As many of the artists by then had relocated to a place called Cheriyal near Siddipet in central Telangana, the art form came to be known as Cheriyal scroll paintings.
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted Vaikuntam and Cheriyal scroll paintings in his Mann Ki Baat address.
“D. Vaikuntam has been engaged in popularising Cheriyal folk art for over 50 years. His effort to promote this art is remarkable. The process of preparing Cheriyal paintings is very unique. It brings out stories in the form of a scroll. It gives a complete glimpse of our history and mythology,” he said.
Vaikunatam, who studied till class 7, learnt the intricate Nakashi art from his father and uncles. Since then, he has remained devoted to it even through financially challenging times.
In the early days, he received requests from storytellers seeking depictions of Hindu epics and folk stories, for which he would spend months creating scrolls with the required illustrations. These storytellers used the scrolls to narrate stories to specific caste communities, earning their livelihood.
Over time, caste-based storytelling has largely faded, but Vaikuntam continues to create Nakashi art on various subjects and platforms. Since Modi had spoken about him, Vaikuntam has seen a surge of interest in both himself and his art.
“I am very happy as the whole of India heard my name and about my art. What more can I ask for?” he said.
