Dinesh Soni

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Certain heritage is not easily acquired. Dinesh Soni a third-generation national award-winning artist hailing from Bhilwara, Rajasthan would say the same for Pichwai-

“How it isn’t something that comes naturally to an artist.”

It was probably one of the first things he mentioned to us when we first visited him in May of 2023. For years he worked as a student, and an apprentice, grinding daily at the studio over small details. Painting the same tree, preparing the cloth, mixing the stone colors, and learning the fine details of different art forms from his grandfather, the illustrious Badrilal Chitrakar, and his father, Prabhulal Soni, he gained expertise.

Dinesh Soni at work.© West Zone Cultural Centre Udaipur

Fine art colleges in India observe a colonial curriculum yet within the subcontinent for thousands of years a unique art pedagogy has existed which prefers studio-based education rather than quick four-year training. I would use the word Dharohar here- Heritage. A simple enough word that is more often than required is off-handedly used to describe Indian lifestyle. People use it as a nostalgic term- something they have lost to time or colonial erosion of culture. But artists like Dinesh Soni would define it differently. For him, it is an inheritance passed down through three generations.

One fine afternoon in January I found myself discussing this and much more with him in Bhilwara where he has situated his family and practice. On the terrace of his house, as the warmth of the sun gently bathed us, we discussed his three-decade-old practice. 

“There are very few master Pichwai Artists left.”

Vishnu Vishwaswaroop, Traditional Jain Painting, Rajasthan, Natural Pigment Colors on Cotton Cloth, 60 x 36 inches, Dinesh Soni (National Awardee). Click to Purchase.

Certain loneliness and practicality fall on his face. Fewer and fewer artists want to study the art of Pichwai the way he did. Many just prefer to use plastic art instead of the traditional medium of stone pigments. He explains the art form to me. Pichwai art originated in the town of Nathdwara near Udaipur in Rajasthan several centuries ago. The word Pichwai, pronounced as Pichhwai is a combination of two Sanskrit words, “Pichh” meaning back, and “wais” hanging. They were wall hangings made to adorn the inner sanctum of Shrinathji Haveli. Thus for him, it is important to maintain the traditional way of creating Pichwai as it is in one way or another an offering to Lord Shrinathji and not simply a static art form. Here art and devotion are deeply entwined.

Shrinathji Shringar, Traditional Pichwai, Rajasthan, Natural Pigment Colors on Cotton Cloth, 60 x 36 inches, Dinesh Soni (National Awardee). Click to Purchase.

I look around the terrace to give him a moment of thought. My eyes fell on his father, Prabhulal Soni, who in one corner was busy grinding and mixing color, and sudden gratitude surged through me. Here I was surrounded by master artists who in the day and age of globalization and global warming, are practicing sustainable ways of producing art. I mention this to him and he gives me an exasperated look. This has always been how art was created for him and his family. 

“Nobody wants to slow down.”

Nathdwara Haveli, Traditional Pichwai, Rajasthan, Natural Pigment Colors on Cotton Cloth, 46 x 36 inches, 1995, Dinesh Soni (National Awardee). Click to Purchase.

Practicing a legacy means devotion and submission. His individuality is his hand which he has mastered through more than forty years of practice, and his mind which doesn’t falter to the quick prompts of inspiration. Each stroke, each fine detail that he makes testifies to his dedication to the art form. And within his line and color, one finds the very individualism. From painting the Nathdwara Haveli from the period of the company era to using the rare purple and orange pigment in his works, Dinesh Soni has imbibed his unique- almost playful, sharp wit- in his works. 

Born in 1972 to Prabhulal and Vidya Soni, both master artists of Pichwai and Mandana Art respectively, Dinesh Soni has reached the pinnacle of mastery which very few artists have in Pichwai. As he shows me his works- old and new I find myself seeing that this is his Dharohar, his legacy, his creation. He looks at his works like a father gazing at his child- awe and criticality. There are few works which he can never part with. I ask why, he softly smiles as he looks at one of his works-

“They are my history.”

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