Ramesh Parmar and Shanti Parmar

Ramesh Parmar and Shanti Parmar are a married couple from Jhabua who have spent about 30 years making tribal dolls, traditional tribal dresses and toys. They were jointly named for the Padma Shri in 2023 in the field of art, from Madhya Pradesh ^[1].

Drawn to tribal traditions

Ramesh Parmar was born on 1 May 1963 at Ratitalai in Jhabua, and Shanti Parmar on 15 July 1968 at the nearby village of Bhagor; they married in 1981 ^[2]. They belong to a Scheduled Caste, but grew up among tribal communities and were drawn to their traditions, which they saw being worn away by modern life ^[2].

The turning point came in 1993, when Shanti Parmar attended entrepreneurship training at a development centre in Jhabua ^[2]. Encouraged there, the couple began making tribal dolls and related goods to introduce younger people to the old ways ^[2].

Hard beginnings

It was not easy. Living in a backward district, they had to fetch even their raw materials from neighbouring Gujarat ^[2]. A district award from the Jhabua collector gave them fresh heart ^[2].

Sharing the craft

Realising the art would not survive if it was only their livelihood, they began training others ^[2]. They revived a dormant artisans’ committee and ran training camps across the district, and have taught more than 1,000 young artisans who now earn a living from the craft ^[2]. They have shown their work at more than 100 national and state fairs, including the Kalidas Samaroh in Ujjain, and now take part in fairs in India and abroad through a self-help group ^[2].