Acclaimed Warli artist Jivya Soma Mashe dead
Palghar, May 15: Internationally acclaimed artist Jivya Soma Mashe -- who catapulted Warli tribal art form to the global stage -- passed away here after a prolonged illness, an official said on Tuesday.
He was 84 and breathed his last Monday night at his home in Dahanu town in the district. He is survived by a daughter and sons Sadashiv and Balu -- both Warli artists.
Honoured with a Padma Shri in 2011, Prince Claus Award in 2009 and National Award for Tribal Arts in 1976, Mashe will be accorded a state funeral later on Tuesday.
In a condolence message, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that with Mashe's demise, "we have lost a dedicated artist who brought the Warli tribal arts form to the international level".
Born in 1934 in Dhamangaon village in then undivided Thane district, Mashe and his family moved to Kalambipada village, now in Palghar, when he was 11.
At age seven, he lost his mother and was in deep trauma, rendering him speechless for several years.
As a young boy, he used to communicate by etching figures in mud, which endeared him to the local tribal community.
Over the years, he developed his rough skills into a specialised art form and developed Warli tribal art to attract global attention.
He made use of mostly white paint on a brown, earthen backdrop joining dots, dashes and lines to bring to life various aspects and themes connected deeply with his tribal culture, background, traditions and the environment.
Mashe liberally -- but with minute details -- drew on his surroundings by painting tribals dances, hunting scenes, birds, animals and insects, forests and forest folk like him who are still masters of the jungles and live in complete harmony with nature.
It was in the 1970s that his art was discovered first by a government team scouting for masters in different forms of traditional arts and to preserve various forms of local artistry for posterity.
In 1975, Mashe's maiden exhibition was held at the Jehangir Art Gallery, which heralded the arrival on the global art scene of the humble tribal artist from a hamlet in Palghar.
There was no looking back. Soon Mashe and his Warli paintings travelled to various countries like the US, earning him accolades and kindling new interest in the hitherto unknown aspects of Maharashtra's tribal culture and arts.
He was awarded several major national and international awards. Top personalities, including then Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, appreciated his arts.
However, he remained unaffected by all the awe, fame, glitter and glamour and retained his simple lifestyle in his village, moving around in a shirt and shorts.
But many international artists, photographers and mediapersons would travel to meet him at his humble abode, where he used to welcome them warmly, take them around to see his art on the walls of his home and other houses in his village, wowing the visitors.
Mashe inspired many youngsters who took to the nearly-dead Warli tribal art form in a big way and many made it even a commercial success.
Mashe's paintings, or by young artists inspired by him, can be viewed in several art galleries, corporate offices and even homes of people in Mumbai and other cities.
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3rd T20I: A three-match 'audition' starts for Gill to find his game back
Dharamsala (PTI): The countdown to save his place in the playing XI begins for a beleaguered Shubman Gill, who is likely to get three matches against South Africa to prove his worth before the Indian team management switches to a ‘Plan B’ ahead of the T20 World Cup, starting in six weeks.
As India gear up to play the third T20I against the Proteas on Sunday in sub-10-degree temperatures in the lap of the ice-clad Dhauladhar range, things are suddenly heating up in the Indian dressing room, with the prolonged poor form of skipper Suryakumar Yadav coming under the scanner.
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Worse, his deputy Shubman Gill, who was pushed into the XI at the expense of a settled Sanju Samson, is not inspiring much confidence.
The South African pace attack featuring Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Ottniel Baartman and Lutho Sipamla — has shown how to bowl on Indian tracks, and the HPCA Stadium strip, offering extra bounce and some movement off the surface, will certainly keep them interested.
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Among all T20 sides, South Africa, in terms of personnel, appears to have the requisite balance to win the trophy in the Indian subcontinent this time. Quinton de Kock’s return, along with the likes of Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Donovan Ferreira, David Miller and all-rounder Jansen, gives their batting an intimidating look.
With only eight games, starting from the third T20I, left before the start of the T20 World Cup title defence, India's under-fire head coach Gautam Gambhir won't be able to afford, two out-of-form top-order batters in the starting line-up.
Being the skipper of the side, Surya will certainly have immunity going into the T20 World Cup despite being completely out of form for the past one year but same can't be said about Gill, who wasn't the original choice as an opener.
Gill's entry into the T20 set-up was a classic case of trying to fix something that ain't broken and things haven't looked good so far.
In this backdrop, Gill would need to bat out of his skin to prove that Ajit Agarkar-led committee wasn't wrong in throwing Samson under the bus for one bad series against England.
The stylish Indian Test and ODI skipper will have to find his T20 game and at least score in two of the three matches if he doesn't want Samson to get his rightful place back or for that matter, find Yashasvi Jaiswal, with a fabulous T20I strike-rate of 165, enter the fray during New Zealand series.
Lack of clarity
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While head coach Gambhir is too proud a person to admit but sending Axar Patel as a one drop batter during the second T20I was a "tactical brain fade" from the team's think-tank.
The kind misstep that was taken with Axar's promotion is unlikely to be repeated in the third game where skipper is expected to go back to No.3 where he has got a lot of success in his first few years at the international level.
Similarly, Shivam Dube being sent at number eight due to the shuffling of batting order was another poor call which would need course correction in the next game.
Is there a place for Kuldeep Yadav?
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Kuldeep Yadav is one bowler who has consistently troubled the Proteas batter but in an Indian team where batting till No. 8 is non-negotiable, the left-arm wrist spinner often finds himself getting the rough end of the stick.
At Dharamsala too, he might have to sit out as Kuldeep and Varun Chakravarthy, two non-batters can't be clubbed in the same T20 playing eleven as that would lead to compromise in batting depth.
While Arshdeep hasn't had a good series so far, it will be interesting to find if team management can find a place for Kuldeep in the playing eleven with Hardik Pandya sharing the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah.
The five-match series is currently tied 1-1.
Teams:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, NT Tilak Verma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Lutho Sipamla, Ottniel Baartman, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde.
Match Starts at 7 pm.
