Talpatar Pakha: The Soulful Fan That Carries the Breeze of Bengal

1. Introduction: A Breeze with a Backstory

Amongst the rich tapestry of Bengal’s culture, where every stitch, stroke and song portrays layers of stories from deep in the past, ‘Talpatar Pakha’ or the palm leaf fans, flicker away with magnificence and silence.

At first glance, these fans may look like simplistic, functional objects made to combat the tropical heat, but on a closer look, it’s obvious that many hours of intricate craftsmanship, folklore, culture and identity, and creativity is folded and tinted into every bend and every edge of the fan colouring. Talpatar Pakha is not an accessory or hand-held object, they exist as a celebration of Bengal’s vernacular ingenuity, skills, creativity and cultural resistance.

2. Origin: The First Winds

Long before electricity buzzed through the wires of Bengal’s towns and villages, people turned to nature for comfort. The broad, sturdy leaves of the Tal tree, the palmyra palm, were perfect for making fans that could chase away the tropical heat. And just like that, the Talpatar Pakha was born.

It started simple. A few collected palm leaves were drowned into water and left for hours to straighten them. After the leaves are straightened, they are then carved with the help of sharp blades to a peculiar circular shape. The boundaries of these leaves are then fitted with pieces of sliced and narrow leaves, which in turn, equip the desired thickness and shape to the product. The ends of the boundaries are stitched. But soon, people began adding little touches: a splash of colour here, a carved design there or stitching some colourful cloths at the ends. Because that’s how it is in Bengal, even the most ordinary things are never really ordinary.

Over time, the fan found its place not just in homes, but in rituals, festivals, and stories. It waved over deities in temples, cooled elders during lazy afternoons, and became a symbol of care, love, and craft.

3. How It Flourished: When Hands Tell Stories

As Bengal’s culture blossomed through the centuries, so did the Talpatar Pakha. In rural villages, especially in rural areas, crafting these fans became more than just a household chore, it became a tradition, a livelihood, and for many, an art. There still exists some pakha-grams (village of fans), like Shiromoni and Pakuria of Medinipur district, carrying the legacy of this hand craft.

Mothers passed the skill to daughters, and fathers to sons. Some fans were made for everyday use, plain and practical. Others were painted with scenes from local myths, or bordered with bright reds and yellows, telling tales without words. Natural colours made from flowers and soil gave them life. And every fan, no matter how simple or ornate, carried the mark of the person who made it.

At village fairs, these fans weren’t just sold, they were shared, admired, bartered, and gifted. They travelled with brides to their new homes, served as dowry treasures, and hung proudly on the walls of huts and havelis alike, just different in sizes.

4. Two Distinct Variations: One Craft, Two Souls

Over time, the art of Talpatar Pakha took two distinct paths — one leaning towards decorative storytelling, the other staying rooted in quiet utility.

4.1 The Nakshi Pakha

Nakshi pakhas, mostly for display or ceremonial use, became canvases for artists. Gods and goddesses, mythological scenes, forest scenes, folk legends, all came alive on the smooth surface of a palm leaf. Yarn, bamboo, cane, date palm leaves, shola (sponge wood), palm leaves and flax are required for making nakshi pakha. A variety of motifs are used to decorate nakshi pakha and the fan is named in accordance with the predominant motif: for instance, bhalobasa (love), kankair jala (comb’s hassle), guyapata (betel leaves), palangposh (bedspread), kanchanmala, chhitaphul, taraphul, shujaniphul (different flower motifs), balader chokh (eyes of a bull), shabkhalata (conchshell creeper), manbilasi (mind’s delight), man-bahar (glamorous), bagh-bandi (the caged tiger), solakudir ghar (house of sixteen scores), man-sundari (most desired beauty), lekha (written message), sagardighi (large lake), hati-phul-manush (elephant-flower-man), gambuj tola (dome), pashar dan (game of chess), jugal hans (pair of ducks), and jugal mayur (pair of peacocks).

They weren’t only made to beat the heat but to stir the imagination. Sometimes they were used in rituals or gifted during festivals. Other times, they were just hung on walls, whispering stories from a time long gone.

4.2 The Simple, Beautiful Everyday Fans

Facing the opposite direction are the everyday fans. While these are lighter, plainer, they are just as important, and people don’t necessarily think of them as inferior. These fans are most often found in a grandmother’s hands on a summer night, or in a farmer’s shoulder bag.

While they may not have the colourful presence of their fancier relatives, they have beauty in texture, stitches, and the loving hands that made them. These fans are fans of memory and rhythm, it’s a daily use, but not taken for granted.

5. Reference to Popular Culture: A Quiet Star

The Talpatar Pakha may not scream for attention, but it has found its way into Bengal’s songs, stories, and even cinema.

Who can forget the gentle wave of a palm fan in Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali? It’s more than just a prop, it’s a presence. In literary world, too, fans often flutter in the background of intimate scenes, quiet carriers of emotion and time. Even the riddles and idioms never forget to mention the Talpatar pakha.

In many Bengali folk songs, the fan becomes a symbol of longing, comfort, also a lover’s hand. Even today, in Jamai Sasthi (a special ritual for son-in-law) rituals, a newly wed may be treated with a Talpatar Pakha gently fanning him, as a gesture of blessing and peace.

Recently, artists, fashion designers, and photographers in Bengal have baulked at reestablishing the very simple object in their work in installations and editorial photo-shoots, and they remind us that his heritage can be contemporary and never can cease becoming ‘cool’ or stylish.

6. Current Status: Holding On, Moving Forward

Like many traditional crafts, Talpatar Pakha faces an uncertain future. With the rise of plastic goods, electric fans, and changing lifestyles, the demand has faded. Many younger artisans are moving away from the craft in search of more stable incomes. Most importantly the primary material of the fan, leaves of the palm (Tal) tree, are scarcely available now, as the palm tree is going to be extinct now.

But all hope isn’t lost. Across Bengal, there are sparks of revival. NGOs training new artisans, Government has provided artist identity card to the artisans, online platforms giving rural makers access to global markets, and cultural festivals celebrating these old crafts.

In Bengal even beyond Bengal, there’s a growing awareness of the beauty and sustainability of handmade goods. Talpatar Pakha, being biodegradable and made from local materials, fits perfectly into this new wave of eco-conscious living.

Recently, painting on the fan has been much popular. It’s now being seen not just as a fan, but as a piece of art, a statement of slow living, and a tangible connection to heritage or even used as a material to decorate the puja pandals.

7. Conclusion: A Fan Full of Heart

Though it may not echo like a machine or glisten like a screen, the Talpatar Pakha speaks softly, but insistently, to remind us of the laborers who made it, the households it cooled, and the narratives it empowered.

It is not just a product. It is a memory you can touch, a legacy you can sense with every enthusiastic flick of your wrist. Hidden within its rustle, are summer evenings, grandmothers humming lullabies, and the songs of villages searching for meaning in their hollow twang.

To preserve the craft is not just to preserve a tradition, but a way of being where beauty is found in the manual, and heritage is experienced in the quotidian.

So next time you see a Talpatar Pakha, pause for a moment to acknowledge it. Feel the leaf between your fingers. Listen to the breeze it produces. You are not just holding a fan, you are holding Bengal’s breath.

 

REFERENCES:

NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE ARTICLE

1. Adhikary, Kaushik, “AC, Fan-er Songe Aj O Manush Kinchen Talpatar Pakha! Banglar Tapta Diner Shital Kotha Shunle Chomke Jaben”,  News 18 Bangla, April, 27, 2025. https://bengali.news18.com/news/life-style/bengals-own-handfan-of-palm-leaf-from-murshidabad-still-wins-hearts-l18-arc-local18-2146362.html

2. Barman, Teesta, “AC, Fan-er Dapote Hariyeche Talpatar Pakha, Ek Feriwala Sei Pakha Niye Ghurchen Shohore”, News 18 Bangla, April 10, 2023. https://bengali.news18.com/news/west-midnapore/palm-leaf-fans-talpatar-pakha-are-abolished-day-by-day-one-seller-brings-back-nostalgia-in-west-midnapore-l18-tes-1048981.html

3. Basu, Nirmal, “Talpata Koi, Bipode Pakha Shilpa”, Anandabazar Patrika, May 15, 2014. https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/dhaksinbanga/%E0%A6%A4-%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%AA-%E0%A6%A4-%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%87-%E0%A6%AC-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%A6-%E0%A6%AA-%E0%A6%96-%E0%A6%B6-%E0%A6%B2-%E0%A6%AA-1.31660

4. Ghosh, Sushmita, “Talpatar Hatpakhar Oitijjho Dhore Rakhar Chesta”, Uttarbanga Sangbad, May 12, 2023. https://uttarbangasambad.com/palm-leaf-hand-fan/

5. Goswami, Sushmita, “Jamai Sasthir Age Nandita Devir Naksha Kora Pakhar Chahida Tunge!”, News 18 Bangla, May 30, 2025. https://bengali.news18.com/news/north-bengal/jamai-sashti-2025-taalpatar-hath-pankha-unique-hand-pained-palm-leave-hand-fan-in-demand-l18-ac-local18-ws-b-2185427.html

6. Goswami, Swapankumar, “Ichhamoto Batas Kor”, Ei Somoy, April 8, 2019. https://eisamay.com/cover-story/palm-hand-fan-a-part-of-bengali-lifestyle/68778022.cms

7. Guha, Subrata, “Ghater Batas Lage Na Ar Talpatar Pakhay”, Anandabazar Patrika, May 12, 2016. https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/midnapore/usage-of-handmade-fans-are-lesser-nowadays-1.384231

8. Mallick, Nawab Ayatulla, “Talpatar Bishalakar Pakhar Bereche Bikri! Karon Janle Obak Hoben”, News 18 Bangla, April 10, 2024.  https://bengali.news18.com/news/south-bengal/people-are-buying-palm-leaf-fans-l18-syr-1600814.html

9. Molla, Julfikar, “Talpatar Pakhar Dekha Mela Bhar, Bazar Dakhal Koreche Plastic-er Hatpakha”, News 18 Bangla, June 22, 2023. https://bengali.news18.com/news/north-24-parganas/traditional-palm-leaf-hand-fans-are-about-to-disappear-plastic-fans-have-taken-over-the-market-l18-tes-1156971.html

10. Sanyal Dutta, Banhi, “Chahida Tolanite, Fan-er Dapote Dirghoshwas Felche Hatpakhar Gram”, Ei Somoy, May 17, 2025. https://eisamay.com/west-bengal-news/midnapore-news/midnapore-famous-handmade-fans-making-all-villages/200374712.cms

WEB PAGE

1. Bong Mela. “Talpatar Desighner Haat Pakha- An Example of Bengal Heritage and Craftmanship”. Last Accessed June 27, 2025. https://www.bongmela.com/blog/talpatar-designer-haat-pakha-an-example-of-bengali-heritage-and-artisanship/?srsltid=AfmBOootHbkHVAnPo0zW-ThaA7NjC42TvOQn2kjmDpMKLQoCS7yXnfxl

2. Get Bengal. “The uniquely intricate Bengal Nakshi Pakha was popular in British India”. Last Modified August 28, 2023.  https://www.getbengal.com/details/the-uniquely-intricate-Bengal-nakshi-pakha-was-popular-in-british-india-getbengal-story

3. Inscript.me. Gupta, Tiasha. “Hawa Korar Chakri Korten Ardalira, Kothay Gelo Talpatar Pakha!”. Last Modified April 15, 2022. https://inscript.me/history-of-unique-palm-leaf-fan