PYARELAL VYAM – GOND ARTIST of MADHYA PRADESH

Video clip on Lilar Kothi | on Pyarelal | Champa Bai on Chedta | Shampa Shah on Mythological trail

Pyarelal Vyam and his son, Sukhanandi, have created a magical world in the open air exhibition, The Mythological Trail, at the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya in Bhopal. Father and son built a lilar kothi, a traditional granary made of clay, on which they depicted the Gond creation myth: Badadev, the earth’s creator; the crow; the crab, Kakramal; Keechakamal, the earth worm; the spider, Makramal; trees and human. Pyarelal grew up listening to this story and has passed it down to his son, Sukhanandi, who in turn tells the tale to his sons. In the story, Badadev made a crow from the dirt on his chest and sent him to fetch some mitti or earth. The crow flew off and alighted on the claw of Kakramal, the crab – instructing him to squeeze the neck of Keechakamal until he spat out the earth. This Kakramal did. The crow took the earth back to Badadev, who distributed it among all the creatures, asking them to spread it on the web that makramal had woven over the water. And thus the earth was created.

Pyarelal says these myths have always stimulated his creativity and he is never short of ideas. Pyarelal lives in village Sonpuri, where he was born. He and his wife, Champa Bai have travelled all over the country, creating magic with clay. But he is happiest back in Sonpuri and breathing the fresh air.