An art form native to the Pardhans, one of India’s largest adivasi groups, hailing from Madhya Pradesh, Gond-Pardhan paintings stand out for their vibrant colours and minute detailing. Organised by the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru, an online session led by Gond-Pardhan artist Japani Shyam will take seven-to-10-year-old kids on a learning journey to unravel the secrets behind this art form.

Education officer Shubhasree Purkayastha shares that Shyam is the daughter of Jangarh Singh Shyam, who pioneered the style. “The group didn’t have any artistic traditions, historically. They were musicians and storytellers. But Jangarh Singh was interested in painting. In the 1970s, when the government was in search of vernacular artists to work on a museum in Bhopal, his style of painting came to the fore,” she explains. The current style, marked by the use of dashes and dots, is his invention.