Traditional Indian art carries the stories, beliefs and collective memories of the communities that sustain it. For MeMeraki, preserving this heritage also means creating opportunities for traditional art to respond to contemporary realities.
This vision comes alive in Umeed: In Hope of Tomorrow, an installation designed by MeMeraki and brought to life by Cheriyal artist Sai Kiran Dhanalakota. The work was selected for the Start-up Venture Award for the Year 2025 in the handicrafts sector, as recorded in an office memorandum issued by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, dated 14 October 2026.
Through a contemporary interpretation of Cheriyal art, Umeed explores the migration and displacement experienced by India's artisanal communities. The installation brings together traditional storytelling, contemporary fabrication and a deeply human narrative about the search for livelihoods, the challenges of change and the hope of carrying cultural traditions into the future.
Umeed: A Story of Migration, Resilience and Hope
At the centre of Umeed is a large Cheriyal-style mask that explores the experiences of artisans who leave their native villages in search of livelihood opportunities in urban environments. Their journeys often involve significant changes in their social surroundings, working conditions and relationship with their inherited crafts.
The mask becomes a metaphorical face of this transition. Its expressive form is covered with intricate illustrations depicting people, places, buildings and scenes of everyday life. Together, these visual elements create a narrative about movement, adaptation and belonging. The familiar visual language of Cheriyal art provides a framework for exploring contemporary experiences that are closely connected to the lives of artisan communities.
Migration can create opportunities for artisans to reach new markets and audiences, while also changing the circumstances in which traditional knowledge is practised and passed on. Moving away from a familiar cultural environment can affect the continuity of inherited skills and the community relationships that support traditional crafts. Through Umeed, these concerns become part of a larger conversation about the future of India's handicraft traditions.
The title, meaning hope, gives the installation its central message. It acknowledges the uncertainty and loss that can accompany displacement while recognising the resilience of artisans who continue to adapt. Their journeys reflect the effort involved in balancing the preservation of inherited knowledge with the need to respond to changing economic realities.
Reimagining Cheriyal Art Through Contemporary Craftsmanship
Cheriyal art is a distinctive narrative tradition from Telangana, historically associated with painted scrolls used by travelling storytellers. These scrolls depicted episodes from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, regional folklore and community histories. The paintings served as visual companions to oral performances, with scenes revealed as storytellers narrated their accounts.
The tradition developed through an exchange between painters, performers and the communities for whom the stories held meaning. Research into Telangana's scroll paintings shows how narratives and visual compositions have changed in response to the social and cultural circumstances of the communities involved. This history of adaptation offers a meaningful context for understanding contemporary interpretations of Cheriyal art.
Umeed draws from this storytelling heritage while moving beyond the conventional scroll format. Instead of presenting a sequence of scenes on cloth, the installation uses a large sculptural mask as its canvas. Its curved surface accommodates a series of illustrations, allowing the traditional visual language of Cheriyal art to take on a new spatial form.
The bold colours, strong outlines and expressive figures associated with the tradition help establish a recognisable visual identity. At the same time, the contemporary subject gives these familiar elements a different narrative purpose. Rather than recounting an established mythological story, the installation addresses the lived realities of artisan communities.
This reinterpretation demonstrates how traditional art can remain connected to its cultural foundations while engaging with present-day concerns. It also expands the possibilities for experiencing Cheriyal art in contemporary public and cultural spaces.
Blending Traditional Artistry with Contemporary Techniques
The making process behind Umeed brings together traditional artistic sensibilities and modern fabrication methods. According to the award submission, the installation was designed to achieve both the expressive qualities required by the artwork and the structural strength needed for display.
The process begins with a metal framework that establishes the overall form and provides structural stability. Fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) is then moulded and layered over the frame to develop the mask's contours and facial features. Once the form is complete, the surface undergoes sanding, smoothing and finishing to prepare it for painting.
The final stage involves hand-painting the installation with acrylic colours and fine brushes. Intricate motifs and narrative details inspired by Cheriyal art are carefully applied across the surface, bringing the composition together.
The completed installation measures 52 inches in height, 44 inches in width and 34 inches in depth, with an approximate weight of 30 kilograms. Its combination of metal, FRP and acrylic paint distinguishes the construction process from the traditional materials used for Cheriyal scrolls.
This approach allows the artwork to retain the visual character of a traditional craft while adapting its form and construction to a contemporary installation. It also highlights the collaboration between artistic knowledge and technical processes in creating large-scale works inspired by India's cultural heritage.
Sai Kiran Dhanalakota: Carrying a Family Legacy Forward
The installation is brought to life by Sai Kiran Dhanalakota, a fine arts-trained artist from the Dhanalakota family, identified in the award submission as the last practising lineage of Cheriyal scroll painters.
His work reflects a commitment to sustaining the storytelling foundations of Cheriyal art while exploring new formats and subjects. This approach is particularly relevant to Umeed, which uses a traditional visual language to examine a contemporary social issue.
Cheriyal painting has historically depended on the relationship between artists, storytellers and the communities that commissioned their work. Research into the tradition documents how the form has adapted through changes in patronage, narrative choices and artistic practice. Contemporary interpretations such as Umeed extend this history of change by placing the tradition in conversation with current social realities.
Sai Kiran's previous recognitions include the Telangana State Award, Kala Bharathi Award and Craft Council of Telangana Award. His collaboration with MeMeraki brings together his knowledge of Cheriyal art and the platform's work in presenting traditional Indian crafts through contemporary installations and experiences.
A Meaningful Recognition for MeMeraki
MeMeraki works with more than 500 master artists across over 200 art forms, creating opportunities for traditional Indian art to reach audiences through murals, installations and other experiences. Its collaboration with Sai Kiran reflects the potential of partnerships between practising artists and organisations working to bring heritage into contemporary spaces.
The selection of Umeed: In Hope of Tomorrow for the Start-up Venture Award for the Year 2025 recognises an approach that connects traditional craftsmanship with a contemporary narrative. The installation draws attention to the experiences of artisan communities while exploring how established artistic traditions can communicate ideas relevant to the present.
At its heart, Umeed is a reflection on the people who sustain India's cultural heritage. Their knowledge, skills and creativity carry traditions forward, even as the circumstances around them change. By bringing the story of migration into the visual language of Cheriyal art, the installation invites audiences to consider the human experiences behind the crafts they encounter.
Ultimately, Umeed: In Hope of Tomorrow presents heritage as a living practice shaped by both continuity and transformation. Its recognition marks an important moment for MeMeraki and Sai Kiran Dhanalakota, while its central message remains rooted in the resilience of India's artisan communities and their hope for a future in which traditional craftsmanship continues to find meaning and opportunity.
