Gopal Bhaar : Jester cum Idol of Krishnanagar
Introduction
The bunch of people reading this article are not the least open to different ways of thinking. They follow a stereotype format and when not written that way means a little off-tracked brainstorming , they go over to give horrible reviews and eventually reject the article.
Proceeding this article , keeping in mind all of that , once again . Basically, my zone of discussion , just for clarification, is primarily the famous maatir putul of Krishnanagar. Gopal Bhaar , being an iconic character, plays a very essential role in its history. Hence , I took up to highlight the famous jester of Krishnanagar Rajbari, alongside maatir putul. Hope the clarification helps you with the necessary clog you guys seriously need to get out of, the soonest.
Source : Wikipedia
Origin
Gopal Bhar was the in-house court jester of Maharaja Krishnachandra , who poignantly ruled over the Nadia district of Bengal. He is roughly believed to be in the court for the span from 1710 to 1783. Gopal was typically well known for his quick wit that helped him make witty quirks with others in a style of callousness or something very casual or sarcastic. Deep within, there used to be several social issues brought into the limelight of the Maharaja. Gopal is also believed to have shown his ready wit in several adverse situations by sensing danger in advance and protecting the kingdom from outside rulers or getting them caught very easily. Those incidents happened for real which is why it has been penned down or made in cartoons for kids to enjoy and learn something.
Source : self clicked
There are several films and other documentaries also who periodically show respect to Gopal for his ready wit and sense of humour and sarcasm either by drawing reference or by direct imitations. Krishnanagar or the entire Nadia district is proud of having someone like Gopal so much that their maatir putul range also includes several forms of Gopaal , in yellow red combinations. He is a best seller. I myself didn’t find a specimen left , somebody called from abroad and ordered an entire lot of Gopal Bhar which left no specimen left for me even in any of the shops !
Motifs / Process Specifics
Here , it is all about Krishnanagarer maatir putul and it’s making process. It is made out of natural clay as we understand. The poli maati of the Ganges is collected which is well mixed with water to form a dough. Now this dough is used to make the various forms of dolls using different types of chaaach or shapes. Then they are left to dry after the shape has been given to the doll.
Next, it’s painting the doll after they dry. Previously they used to use organic colours but now the colours used for normal painting is only used. After colouring it is again left to dry. If some ornamentation is needed, that is done. This is now packaged well and dispatched or well laid out in the shops for sale. Now , the entire goodness lies in the craft of carving those dolls. They’re very intricate and life-like, especially the miniature versions. Doraemon looks exactly like Doraemon and not like Shinchaan , they’re recent additions. Similarly Gods and Goddesses find an essential part of the craft or scenes from fair or mela like tepa tepi selling vegetables or simple village life scenes like a lady cooking or extracting rice or wheat grains with that machine.
Locally available clay from the river Jalangi and other places within Krishnanagar is used in this craft. This particular type of clay is most suitable for the kind of work the craftsman does This local clay is added with different admixtures to get different desired results such as sandy soil, rice husk/ saw dust, cotton etc.
Colours give life to Krishnanagar dolls and makes them look more realistic. Powder colours mixed with water and glue, poster colours, different dyes and pigments are used in the colouring process. Colouring is followed by applying varnish mixed with kerosene to give the glossy finish to dolls.
Challenges faced
The Ghurni area or Putul Patti of Krishnanagar is facing a stiff competition with the number of people being engaged in this age-old craft these days. Glass fibres or other synthetic materials used for making dolls take much less time and effort. This has restricted the craft to being practiced only in their small region, few families maybe. The new generation kids prefer moving out for studies instead of taking up this profession and staying put there. In fact, lack of professional degree courses has made the craft very strict to a region.
Hence , maybe there is huge demand from foreign places, mostly bulk demand yet on the whole , the industry is slagging. So to say, the rate of pollution has also degraded the quality of clay being used which leads to a fall in the quality of the end products. Eventually, a lot of artificial colours have to be used by the Paul’s or Sutradhara of the area to make it sell worthy. Their craft makes it possible mostly yet it is not without its problems.
Cultural importance / contemporary status
Maharaja Krishnachandra is believed to have hired potters all along from Natore, Bangladesh. Hence, it is an excellent holistic culmination of art and excellence. It reflects to the finest the local people of Nadia and their works. The intricacies in the art form very dominantly adds to its cultural significance. International contracts and conferences discuss Ghurni to this day with immense pride and respect also because of the same reason. In fact, the craft has narrowed down relying only on exports, according to the artisans. They actually shed their agony that local people here rush for Western goods while they demand for Indian products to decorate. This is very disheartening. Requests go out to the people to visit Ghurni in person and buy from the artisans directly. They toil a lot every day to keep up such a tradition. It is our duty to respect that and help them out by buying from them.
Conclusion
The Gopal Bhaar is in a huge demand in the array of dolls. Every other day , supplies get transported far and wide. In fact , I couldn’t buy one because of the same reason. The motif is very realistic and it upholds the Krishnanagar pride very well. It serves as an identification of the entire Nadia district which is nonetheless a matter of pride. Change is the only constant but keeping up with certain traditions and culture shows integrity and oneness as a folk. Hence, we must try our best to keep up with the craft and make sure it reaches its highest worth. Tourists are their only hope , so please visit and buy from them directly to help them.
References
https://en.m.w
ikipedia.org/wiki/Gopal_Bhar