Andhra Pradesh's Savara tribal art gasps for survival

THE HINDU 
A Savara tribal artist with Edisinge art at Addakulaguda hamlet in Srikakulam district. | Photo Credit: BYARRANGEMENT
The Savara tribal art — Edisinge — that once flourished in the Eastern Ghats, is on the verge of extinction owing to the change in the religious profile and lifestyle of the community. Until 2011, the number of Edisinge artists was below 15 in Srikakulam district, home to the Savara tribe in Andhra Pradesh, with a population of above 1.05 lakh. “We started the Savara Art Society in 2011 to revive our art as some of the surviving artists are too old to practise it,” Savara Raju of Addakulaguda hamlet told The Hindu over phone. Mr. Raju, 26, who inherited the art from his father China Sumburu, trained a batch of 30 youths of their tribe through the SAS, but barely three are now actively practising it. [More]

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