Tarun Guha at his stall with his straw wall hangings. Picture by Srinivas

Jamshedpur, Feb. 4 : His art reflects the true picture of tribals of the state.

From the suffering of tribal girls to dance forms like Chaau, his art speaks the essence of the land.

But, the unique feature about his work is that he uses straw to give life to his ideas.

The 55-year-old artist Tarun Guha, from Jamtara, is the most sought after man at the crafts fair.

Guha, who is in the city for the first time to participate in the 13th Gramshree Mela at Gopal Maidan in Bistupur, claims to be the only artist in the country who makes art out of straw.

His work, which is made of straw is selling like hot cakes.

?On the very first day, I sold pieces worth Rs 1,000,? Guha said.

?It is the first time that I am participating in the mela and I happy to see the response,? he adds.

Guha who lives in Hansipahadi village at the Jamtara district has participated in various national-level craft fairs in Mumbai, Chandigarh and Gwalior.

Moreover, governments of various states like Madhya Pradesh have felicitated him for his work. His work range from Goddess Durga to poet Rabindranath Tagore, everything which is close to his heart finds its presence in his work.

The prices of his paintings range from Rs 20 to Rs 200 and above. Sharing his experiences, Guha said he does not consider himself to be an artist but is happy to see that his art has found acceptance.

?I had a dream to make something original. Since I live in a village and paddy straws was the only cheap raw material available in plenty, I had no choice but experiment with it,? said Guha.

Impressed with his art, Dhanbad unit of TSRDS has approached him to conduct workshops.

Another stall by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (Trifed), Ministry of Tribal Affairs, has grabbed the attention of the people.

TRIFED has displayed products made by tribals across the country.

From the Pithora paintings of Rathwa tribes to the Rabari wall hangings of Gujarat, the collection at the stall is unique and has a price range of Rs 38 to 2,000.

Sushil Ahuja, regional manager of Trifed, said products made from tribal forests products like rice, tea, coffee, spices, honey, herbal cosmetics is also available.