The Bohada Masks: An unbroken thread hanging on your wall

July 29, 2026

For all the customers who bought a Bohada mask from us: tell us, how did you feel when you took a Bohada mask home?

Perhaps your fingers traced the organic ridges of the layered papier mache. Perhaps you caught the faint earthiness of the clay and organic dyes. Or perhaps you were immediately captured by the eyes, striking, expressive and staring back at you with a confidence that felt centuries old.

In a world filled with mass produced decor, machine made accents and disposable plastics, you have made a deliberate choice. You chose an object that carries the warmth of human hands, the scent of forest rivers, and the cadence of ancient tribal drums.

You did not simply buy a piece of home decor. You became a bridge connecting our Kal, Aaj aur Kal

Kal. The yesterday

For generations, the Warli, Kokna and Mahadev Koli tribes did not write their history in books. They wrote it on mud walls and brought it to life during the Bohada festival. For three nights in spring, the entire village becomes open air theatres with the beating of drums and the blare of brass horns. Out of the darkness, dancers wearing the immense masks would emerge, representing 52 divine powers, forest guardians and mythological heroes, like Kalbhairav, Maruti, Saraswati, Taraka. The masks were made by hereditary master artisans using paper, tamarind seed paste, riverbed clay. They carried the prayers of the tribe for good harvests, protection from disease and harmony with the surrounding wilderness. This is the Kal, a rich, unbroken heritage of indigenous India that has survived hundreds of years

Aaj. Today. The crossroads

As modern highways expanded and industries grew nearer, the ecosystem sustaining the Bohada began to fracture. Villages became smaller, people left in search of livelihood, and master craftsmen stored their moulds in dusty corners. Today, only one family still continues to make the masks.

EkiBeki sat down with the craftsmen and together we refined some of their techniques. Making them more lightweight. We then brought these masks into the modern world.

If you had visited the bustling Nexus Seawoods mall last year, you would have noticed the giant Bohada masks rising gracefully among contemporary storefronts. If you had visited the Kalaangan exhibition in July 2025 at the mall, you may have even met the artisan in person.

We brought the stories from the Sahyadri mountains into the modern city, showing urban art lovers that indigenous Indian designs also fits into modern contemporary spaces.

Kal. Tomorrow. You are the link

When you purchased your Bohada mask, you stepped into the timeline. You became the force that propels Aaj into a hopeful Kal.

Consider what your purchase accomplished. The artisan did not have to leave home to search for factory work, he could continue working with dignity. And when his chidren see their parents recieve dignity and fair compensation, the craft becomes a point of pride and economic independence.

And you become a storyteller. Your home is a place where ancient folklore breathes comfortably along contemporary life.

The Unbroken Circle

Kal, what was, is what will be, provided someone chooses to hold the thread. By bringing an EkiBeki Bohada mask into your life, you have taken hold of that thread. You honour the craftsmen of the past, support the artisan families of today, and ensure the children of tomorrow still know how to paint the eyes of the forest gods.