Sullur

Sullur is a small hamlet located about 27 km from Sagar town. That’s where Radha’s house is located. She is a non-descript Chittara artist. Till very recently, she didn’t even have electricity in her house, piped water supply reached Sullur about 6 years ago. But what has held her family together, from her mother to her 4 other sisters is a dying art form called Chittara. This is a folk art form, native to the region that amalgamates music, painting, lives and lifestyles of the Deewaru community. The Deewaru are an indigenous community who mainly inhabit districts of Shimoga & North Canara in Karnataka. Radha has been working for the last 16 years to resuscitate this art form; she was also conferred a State award a couple of years ago. She welcomes visitors in her home (do call her before you get there though!). Just the ambience, setting of her house transports you to a mystical world. It’s mostly the women who draw. Chittara was primarily used to adorn bare mud walls in the house. The painting brush is a root fiber and traditionally only natural colours are used—mud, yellow (from a forest seed), black (from burnt rice) and white (from rice) are used. Spend a day with Radha learning the nuances of the art, its history, the colours, the process and painting itself. Experiment and make yourself a souvenir as you spend the day with a family full of Chittara artists. It will be a day well worth it. Besides Radha Sullur, there are other artists in the area too, whom one can reach out to. Some prominent names include Eshwar Naik and Lakshmakka.