GADAG: A picture says a thousand words, and in this case so does its artist! With dedication and love for the paintbrush, this 66-year-old daily-wage earner from Naregal in Gadag district has been transforming walls at many temples, mutts, other religious institutions and schools with myriad tales of Hindu Gods and India’s heroes of yore.
Through the forty years of toiling in the fields and the markets, Dawalsab Rawat has honed his skills as an artist, in an effort to educate people, especially the young ones, about the country’s rich heritage. Starting young, initially Dawalsab’s paintings were mostly of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Bhagat Singh, among other luminaries from India’s freedom movement, before he got inclined to relate stories about the Ramayana.
Most of his early works are not available now as many temples and schools have repainted their walls. But some other paintings on the epics and Gods can still be seen on the walls of Kodikoppa’s Huchcchirappa Mutt, Gadag’s Veereshwar Punyashram, Naregal’s Old Bazaar Hanuman Temple and police station, Tegginakere Anjaneya Temple and Totaganti village’s Mallayyajja temple, in the region. Also, several other schools and temples at Kotumachagi, Yelaburga, Halakere, Hosalli, Menasagi, Asuti, Jigalur, Karamudi, and Belavaniki have also played host to this work.
Meanwhile, he has also brought to life old traditional practices such as Kadabad sogu, Muharram and the bhajans of North Karnataka. Dawalsab has afforded this remarkable talent through sheer passion. Busy at work most of the time, he used to paint during weekends, spending money from his own pocket for paints and brushes. Sometimes, he also skipped his daily earnings to complete his artwork.
Throughout his ‘illustrious’ life, Dawalsab has enjoyed the support of his wife, Hasanabi, and two children – son Peersab and daughter Imambi. “I am very happy about my husband’s passion. He starts painting whenever he is free. Even as he painted when we were struggling hard to earn money, we have always supported him and never disturbed or stopped him.
Some people offer money for big paintings, but many a times, he has to spend from his own pocket,” Hasanabi says. After 20 years of work, Dawalasab started gaining recognition, but never sought any felicitations or awards. He gently declined honours from the local administration , saying that he paints for self-satisfaction. “I have worked in many places as a daily-wage worker. Amid poverty, my passion for painting has not stopped. It gives me immense pleasure and I started painting to educate our children about our grand history. Ramayana has many messages – Hanuman’s devotion, Rama’s attitude towards life, Sita’s love for Rama, Lakshmana as a loyal brother. Children should understand this,” Dawalsab says.
Another aspect that has bound Dawalsab to his passion is a resolve to spread communal harmony. He says: “In the early 1980s, I wanted to tell people to live in harmony. Though being a Muslim, I started painting the pictures of Hindu Gods, which came out so well that people began appreciating me. I have also depicted Muharram on school walls, telling children that we are all equal. Allah Ishwar ek hai!” Naregal-based writer and teacher Chandrakant R says, “Dawalasab’s work is amazing. It is our duty to recognise such painters, as modernisation has hit all aspects of life today. But artists like Dawalasab continue to tell stories through their paintings to educate children.”
Inspiration at home
It all began when Dawalsab was in the 9th standard. Famous painter B K Satya’s works in monthly magazines impressed him, and he started painting his own house wall. To his surprise, a painting of Rama and Sita during Vanavasa came out really well. He then embarked on painting temple walls. Today, Dawalsab paints for 10 hours continuously, reliving scenes from the Ramayana.