Preserving the Dying Folk Art of Parola to Keep Jammu’s Cultural Identity Alive

Folk art and traditions make us unique, telling the story of who we are are and where we have been. They must be preserved at all costs.

One such folk art of Jammu Region is PAROLA , using Mitti (Mud) Parola ( white clay) Goti     ( mud plus cowdung) is still surviving in our villages. Particulalry done on mud houses   ( Kachi Kothi). This folk-art is created using  Mitti (Mud) and Parola ( White Clay) on the outer side of mud-house, on the Danga ( Boundary wall) or  Khutti (sitting benches made of mud). These give the mud house a beautiful look.

After smearing walls of mud house these art creations are drawn over them with Parola. These are made from Mitti, Goti and Parola and are called Guddian (Dolls). These art creations are painted by females of the family with a Koochi (straw-brush ). First of all the mud house is given a hand plastering with wet clay mixed with husk of dry wheat-plant and cowdung. Then it is given a coating of Goti ( a plaster made of cow-dung and mud) when dry, Guddian are painted over this area using Parola (White clay).

These art creations are not painted inside house. Only a thick line 4 to 6 inches wide is drawn corner to corner in rooms and around Thamm ( wooden pillar of  Kachi Kothi ). However, this is not called Guddian but Patta (a stripe).

Resource Person : Shri Kirpal Singh, Former Curator Dogra Art Museum & Heritage Preservationist