The eledu.net logo projects a select part of a Warli painting. The Warli or Varli is one of the Indian indigenous peoples. Most of the Warlis live in Dahanu and Talasari talukas of the northern Thane district and some in Nasik and Dhule districts of the state of Maharashtra in India. For us, adoption of this painting is not an act of appropriation that celebrates it as a commodity without an understanding of its context and meanings. Dominant perceptions about tribal people and culture freeze them in time, often taking no cognizance of the contemporary violence and disruption of their life and culture. Through the adoption of this painting for our logo, we celebrate the larger pedagogic and social goals of our portal.
Traditional Indian tribal life has its own natural rhythm and motion. Tribal art has captured the moods and whimsies of nature and in it men, women, animals, birds, trees and the whole of this world are conjoined together in a harmonious and eternal celebration called ‘Life’. The sheer joy of living each and every moment is aptly conveyed by this painting. Basic geometric forms and primal designs, dots and patches are used to convey the profoundest philosophy in the simplest form. In this painting, men and women alternate in a spiral formation and dance without turning their backs to the persons playing the musical instrument. The person at the centre of the spiral formation plays a native musical instrument and is the most prominent of all the figures. With harmony and rhythm, that spreads and mesmerizes the complete space, he seems to be the creator and controller of all life around. Transcending the barriers of time and place, this Warli painting portrays eternal life in its universal form.
For us, the figure at the centre represents Education. The spiral formation comprises of teachers and students from diverse communities holding each other as equals in the path of learning. Everyone participates. There is constant activity and movement, not forceful displacement from one’s location that leads everyone to enjoy what they are engaged in. Education is not imposed from the outside but is rooted in and builds on people’s knowledge, wisdom and culture. The open-ended spiral signifies a continuum of learning with an openness that is infinite and harmonious.
