Kaavi: Goan art of uncovering beauty beneath the surface

Atika Modassir

What if Goa’s ancient paintings were never really painted at all? No brushes dripping with a rainbow of colours, no canvases stretched out on easels, no smell of oils or chemicals but just the smell of wet earth, seashells and sand wafting through. Ages ago, rust red and sparkling white colours told tales of folklore and veneration on lime plastered walls of sacred temples. Originating from ‘kaav’- earthy red in Sanskrit, Kaavi kalé is an artistic wall mural tradition characterised by graphic etching. Lime plaster coated with red laterite pigment is carved upon by the artist to reveal contrasting white patterns of shell lime that come alive by scraping the surface with custom made steel and wooden tools. Kaavi - Goa’s very own art form born of its laterite soil has weathered not just the centuries old currents of monsoon, but also of colonial rule. As Hindus fled The Inquisition, they took the art along the Malwan, Konkan and Malabar coasts. This also led to broadening its imprint on churches and mosques, beyond temples, ancestral homes and shrines. The resulting designs took on a unique indigenous depiction incorporating European ecclesiastical imagery and Western Asian geometry and floral motifs. Combined with ethnic Indian symbols of mythology, lotus flowers, mango leaves and more, these influences have rendered it distinct from other Indian folk art like Warli and Madhubani. The exodus of Hindus, followed by the subsequent introduction of modern paints led to its waning in the course of time. Recent preservation, protection and documentation efforts by bodies such as Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Goa Heritage Action Group and the Charles Correa Foundation; as well as its introduction in the Goa Education Board’s art syllabus have given it fresh impetus. In an increasingly concretised landscape, kaavi’s use of natural and sustainable materials for climatic adaptation lends it with fresh significance. The process requires no mechanisation and is elemental; using local hand pounded lateritic soil, river sand, burnt seashells, jaggery, lime putty and riverbed pebbles for polishing. It also provides momentum to Goa’s image as a cultural destination by spotlighting its historical Konkan heritage. Kaavi kalé is commonly likened to the European Renaissance sgraffito technique, due to the process of engraving a coloured surface to reveal an underlying layer beneath. It is different though as it requires only soil pigment and seashells to create a duo-chromatic impact; versus needing a multiple of coloured plaster layers to produce a multi-chromatic effect. Moreover, being a practical local innovation for climate-responsive craftsmanship, Kaavi goes beyond being simply an artistic ornamentation style.