Putli Devi with a painting in Hazaribagh on Wednesday. Picture by Vishvendu Jaipuriar

Her art has literally given a rural painter the wings — and the passport — to fly.

Putli Devi (40), an illiterate woman from Shehda village in Barkagaon, 65km from Hazaribagh, has been making sohrai and khovar paintings for over 20 years. Today, her paintings have admirers in Germany, Australia and Italy, where Devi has also travelled.

Since ages, tribals across the Badam region have been using natural colours to make these paintings on walls, caves and more recently, paper.

Sohrai is made during the festive season of Diwali as well as harvest times while khovar is made during weddings.

These are found liberally in caves and walls in the area.

“Sohrai artists use natural matter for colours. They use red, black, yellow and white soils, cow dung, coal and powdered leaves to make colours. They never use artificial colours. I get the soil from Barkagaon area for my work,” she said. “Instead of brushes we use brooms and combs to draw and put on colours,” Devi added.

On her global exposure, Devi said that environmentalist and eminent curator of tribal art Bulu Imam had inspired her to take up this art as a profession.

“I make paintings of different animals which are bought by Imam for Rs 500 each. He sends my work to exhibitions,” she said.

She paints around two works of art a day and is happy to earn Rs 1,000 almost everyday as a matter of course.

The prolific artist is also happy that the tribal forms were in demand abroad. “When I first travelled and attended the exhibitions for more than a decade ago, I was surprised to see that not only was there a great response but a great many buyers too,” she added.

The artist stressed that sohrai and khovar were on the verge of extinction.

“The government should take steps to save these art forms. They are my life. I feel proud to be a sohrai artist. I am glad I can do my bit to make it globally famous.”