“I’m Pavan Nakash, a Cheriyal scroll painter from Telangana.

My grandfather, Danalakota Venkataramayya, moved from Vemulawada to Cheriyal, where he practised the art of Cheriyal scroll painting—a traditional storytelling style native to Telangana. He passed it on to my father, Danalakota Chandrayya, who was a tailor but continued painting scrolls, toys, and masks alongside his work.

When my grandfather had a paralytic stroke at 72, many of his works remained incomplete. But he had already trained my father, who took it forward with full dedication. In 1978, the Development Commissioner of Handicrafts recognised our work. And in 1983, my father received the National Award from President Giani Zail Singh for his Mahabharata scroll.

Even while I was studying, I stayed involved in the art. Our family painted scrolls narrating stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Markandeya Puranam, Katamula Kathalu, and folk tales of Telangana. But between 2000 and 2012, people lost interest. TV had taken over. We barely had work and considered giving up.

Things changed after Telangana was formed in 2014. Cultural identity came into focus again. That same year, I was invited to conduct a workshop at Salar Jung Museum. I got to meet Vani Madam, daughter of former PM PV Narasimha Rao garu, and interact with students from Sri Venkateswara College.

In 2016, we received the Telangana State Award. Since then, my wife and I have been working together—conducting workshops across India in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai. A proud moment for us was painting the Cheriyal murals at Secunderabad Railway Station’s Platforms 1 and 10 in 2018.

Today, both my wife and I continue to create scrolls and traditional artworks while also working on corporate gifting projects. This is more than just our work—it’s our shared commitment to keeping this art alive for future generations.

And we’re proud to carry this legacy forward, together.”