I am so glad that despite the bad weather, I was able to capture a time-lapse of this wall mural. I love how the lighting changes depending on the time of the day throughout the video. It really captures the process of painting and how it takes days to finish one artwork.
I had been painting murals on western concepts like cowboys or phoenixes. And I wanted this wall to truly represent the local culture. In this wall art, I have shown the famous folk dance of Himachal Pradesh which is called “Nati”. This traditional dance form usually has a story narrated through songs. It is a group dance to various local instruments like Dhol, Nagara, Shehnai, and Karnal. People wear colourful dresses while performing Nati. They also tie their hands with one another and perform dance steps in a circular pattern.
I was quite fortunate to see a few local performances while I was travelling. The Mahila Mandal, a group of local women, organised a Nati tournament where everyone from the village gathered and the participants performed wonderfully. It ties people together and gives such a beautiful sense of community. It is fantastic to genuinely experience the essence of the local culture when travelling.
Location: The Fika Hostels, Himachal Pradesh
Happy Creating.
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Nati: A wall mural