Indian Women Turn Ancient Wall Art Into Global Business

Women in Jharkhand, India are transforming an ancient wall painting tradition into thriving businesses that give them financial freedom for the first time.

Sohrai art originates from Hazaribagh district and traditionally appears on village walls the day after Diwali. Families paint cattle, birds, fish, and forests using natural pigments from local red ochre, black mud, yellow clay, and kaolin to celebrate the harvest and honor their livestock.

The art received India's Geographical Indication tag in 2020, protecting its cultural heritage. Artists now paint Sohrai motifs on everything from bookmarks to $200 sarees, bringing the tradition into homes and stores worldwide.

Kamini Sinha, 50, started practicing Sohrai in 2010 after marriage limited her career options. She recalls being told what she couldn't do but never what she could, so she decided to build something from home.

Today, Sinha's enterprise Om Creations employs over 35 women from her village who wanted to practice art while managing family responsibilities. Her Ranchi store stocks wallets, trays, tablecloths, and textiles featuring traditional Sohrai patterns in earthy tones.

The business has grown beyond India's borders. Sinha's work now sells in Dubai and Singapore through government partnerships and private clients.

The Ripple Effect

The financial independence reaches deep. "Earlier, we had to ask our husbands for money," Sinha explains. "Today, we don't need to ask for even a single rupee."

Their families notice the change too. In-laws who might have discouraged the work now support it because the women contribute financially to their households.

Sohrai gained national attention when Prime Minister Modi mentioned it in his 2024 Mann Ki Baat radio address. Artists have since painted expansive murals in Indian cities, and Sinha presented a Sohrai painting to President Droupadi Murmu at the presidential palace.

The art form celebrates ecology from creation to subject. Artists make bamboo brushes and harvest pigments from mineral-rich mud, sal tree stems, and grasses found locally.

Traditional themes depict the animals central to rural life: cows, buffaloes, goats, peacocks, and tortoises. During Sohrai festival, families worship their cattle with flowers, turmeric, and rice flour, then share sweet rice pudding with them as family members.

What existed only on temporary mud walls for centuries now travels the world on fabric and paper. These women proved their heritage could support their futures without asking permission from anyone.