“Belonging to a historic town called Cheriyal in the Siddipet district of Telangana region, we are continuing the ancestral art form – Cheriyal scroll paintings as our mainstream profession.

In ancient times, storytellers would travel from one village to another and tell their stories in the form of songs, ballads, poetry, puppetry, or through art. The storytellers carried with them scrolls of paintings made by artisans like us, which they displayed in front of their audience while telling captivating stories.

My father, D.Vaikuntam garu is a master craftsman and National Awardee from Telangana. Presently, very few families practice this ancient craft, and we have been continuing this art form with a motive to take it to future generations.

There is no shortage of subjects- mythology, folklore, stories of different communities, and snippets from daily life where we take inspiration in order to convert a story through paintings. We still maintain a distinct Telangana flavor in the form and depiction of our artworks.

Today we are proud to say that our art form has reached beyond boundaries and we continue to strive to make Cheriyal Scroll Paintings, a world-famous art, by presenting our paintings across the globe.”

• Featuring Rakesh & Vinay – Cheriyal Nakashi Artists from Telangana