Vithika Hota 2024PGP457 – Oak Lores

Vithika Hota 2024PGP457

I’m a curious MBA student at IIM Indore and I love telling stories. With roots in Odisha and a deep love for Indian art, literature, and folklore, I enjoy exploring the nuances of identity, tradition, and what it means to remember. I believe every corner has a story—and I’m here to find and tell it.

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Terracotta Over Our Heads: The Story Beneath Barpalli’s Roof Tiles

Introduction: Where Roofs Have Ears… and Animals What if your rooftop wasn’t just a slab of cement or asbestos, but a quiet guardian of folklore, faith, and frogs? In Barpali,…

Ink, Iron & Identity: The Kutia Kondh Tattoos That Refuse to Fade

If pain is beauty, the Kutia Kondh women of Odisha have known it for centuries — one thorn-prick at a time. Buried in the forest-cloaked folds of Kandhamal, these women…

Clay that Breathes: Unearthing Sonepur’s Terracotta Tales

“You don’t make terracotta. You become it.” That’s what an artisan in Odisha’s Sonepur whispered, half in jest, half in truth, as he pulled a red-hued horse from a pit…

Straw by Straw: Weaving Dhenkanal’s Golden Craft Legacy

“A straw in the wind may show which way the heritage blows.” If you’ve ever brushed off paddy straw as just cattle fodder or thatching material, Odisha’s Dhenkanal district is…

Clang, Craft, and Kansari: The Ringing Legacy of Balakati’s Bell Metal

Before you had a non-stick kadai or IKEA cutlery, Odisha had Kansa. Not the tyrant uncle from the Mahabharata, but the sacred bell metal alloy that rings- both literally and…

Metal, Memory, and the Matriarchs of the Hills: Inside the Bonda Tribe’s Art of Adornment

In the wild, forested cliffs of Odisha’s Malkangiri, women walk like warriors.Not in boots, but in beaded armor.No silk sarees, no gold chains. Just a 2-foot cloth called the Ringa,…

Saura Art: More Than Just Tribal Doodles

In the universe of Indian indigenous art, the Saura murals of Odisha are often misread as mere aesthetic versions of Warli—both lean, linear, and seemingly simple. Their art form is…

Carving Life out of Buffalo Horn: The Rise and Fall of Odisha’s Horn Art

Introduction Imagine if your grandmother’s comb could tell stories. Stories about not just her shiny white hair, but stories about royal patronage, mythical beasts, and artists who breathe life into…

Rice Paste on Mud: The Quiet Poetry of Jhoti Chita

In a world of AI-generated Ghibli art and NFTs, there is a quiet art that still begins with mud walls and rice paste. It is called Jhoti Chita– Odisha’s own…

Pipili Applique: A Tale of Mangoes, Elephants and Peacocks

In a world with 50 shades of black and white and hashtag minimalism, Pipili stands tall like that one aunty who shows up at a wedding in a shimmering sequined…

Beyonce could Never: The Untold story of Sambalpuri Ikat

If fashion was politics, the Sambalpuri saree would be a seasoned MP– elected term after term, with zero scams to her name. Because while the Delhi girls were draped in…