One of the many existing traditional art forms original and originating from Bengal , Patachitra stands out as being a combination of scroll painting accompanied by folk songs, known as Patua songs. This amazing blend of oral as well as visual storytelling is one worthy of mention and preservation. This is a rich cultural history in the histories of West Bengal cultural forms. It should be protected, preserved , propagated and discussed more, so that the legacy can carry itself down and across generations ahead.
The unique art blend unites villages and villagers in a single thread of Patachitra painting. “Pater Gaan” is a symbolic genre of music by itself.
If we go by etymology, ‘patta’ means cloth and ‘chitra’ means picture which together means paintings on cloth. Usually, Patachitra is practiced on cloth. Heavily based on mythology and mythological stories, these uniquely depict stellar artistic brilliances of the local artisans.
Back in the olden days, these Patachitra artists used to move from one village to the next with scrolls of songs and paintings. These songs were primarily based on mythology and used to be performed for entertainment purposes. Centuries before television became a mainstream media, these audio visuals provided the necessary backdrop for the same. The tradition of audio visual combined forms of entertainment is no less worthy of discussion and pride.
Origin
The origin of Patachitra , encompassing the audio-visual combination of folklore or story telling, dates back to more than a thousand years.
Paschim Medinipur villages excel in the art of adorning such singers and artisans. Usually , it is a combination of both songs and paintings, coupled by story telling or maybe telling the story in the form of songs besides the display of scroll paintings which depicts of what is being tried to conveyed.
This work is not as easy as it sounds. It requires extreme patience and hard work to craft out the intricacies of the stories which are chosen to be visually displayed or even sung out. Nonetheless, it is a pure form of folk art and folktale form. Patachitra spread its wings out in the nearby areas of Odisha , Jharkhand, Bihar and present day Bangladesh as well.
The Pingla subdivision of Paschim Medinipur in West Bengal is a cultural hotspot of Patachitra and Patua Singers. Reports reveal around a hundred families sustaining well in this area, practicing the craft down generations, learnt from their great grandfather till today. This Naya gram has improvised itself in its art and act of story telling over ages. What used to be merely restricted to religious folk tales , spread wings to topics of contemporary discussions as well as the time and context demands.
Source : Pinterest
Motifs and Process
There are two major strands of Patachitra paintings, the Odisha form and the Bengal form. The Odisha form originated in the form of palm leaf manuscript gradually moving towards cloth.
Mainly depicting Sri Jagannath revolving tales and folklores.
Bengal form has always been on cloth with stories from Ramayana , Mahabharat and others such great stories. This gradually spread to the stories of Durga, Kali, local Gods and Goddesses like Bonobibi of Sunderban delta and such others depending on the region where they are worshipped. Bengal Patuas also used the Chalchitra for depicting their stories, besides using the earthen dish type of materials to depict their stories as well. In fact, the Kalighat strand of Patua painting is a more contemporary art style that follows the works and style of the famous painter, Jamini Roy.
The first job of the painter is to choose the cloth pieces. These are tied together with a paste of tamarind seeds which are dried under the sun. These cloth pieces pasted together become a single Patti, which is dried to be rolled up. Several paata slices are cut and each paata is utilized for separate paintings.
The colors used are all naturally prepared from clay, chalk, conch, stone, charcoal powder, sea shells etc. Colour extraction process is separate and elaborate to derive the colours. All colours and different types of brushes are made out of indigenously which make the art form unique and sustainable too.
Once the colouring is done and dried, wooden scrolls are attached so that it can form a roll and the roll can be opened gradually while the Patua sings along or narrates the story being depicted in the scroll. This scroll attachment is the last stage. One can even buy just these painted cloth and use them as wall hangings to decorate their houses or office spaces. There, the scrolls are not attached.
Source : Pinterest
Challenges faced
Lack of organised marketing is the most problematic issue faced by the Patua artisans. Financial weakness coupled with illiteracy are troubles as well. Modern entertainment media doesn’t pay the deserved value and respect to these traditional art forms. Historically ,they’ve received feeble support from the Government to continue their legacy. Beyond all these, there is this pandemic that nearly ruined all businesses. Traditional art forms are most expected to receive its price of jolt. It is beyond wonder, a tourism dependent craft now. Hence , a lack of tourists naturally means a severe fall in their earning ways.
Contemporary relevance
Readjustments with the present times to keep the art form alive is the only viable way or option. These days, Patuas have included themes like sustainability, green alerts, gender discrimination and such others to keep up with the stifled competition. The Naya village of Paschim Medinipur is in talks with UNESCO to help restore this cultural art form. Even participation in various trade fairs and such other exhibitions could help improve their status. Besides , involvement of women is a major addon to the same.
Conclusion
The traditional Patua art form may not always be very popular or distinct among other art forms or folk arts. Yet, the conscious use of very bold colors, coupled with several interesting themes, makes it deserving enough for far more recognition than it presently gets. E- Commerce platforms are expected to step in and play their part in the international market to protect these art forms by driving up sales. Besides, inclusion of this art form in art galleries or curriculum of art students could help them gain interest and study them in depth so that they could work on the same out of their curiosity. Besides, tourists visiting places like Pingla, encouraging the artisans and buying from them also would help. Also, movies and other digital media could work on their stories or portray their art form in their stories to enlighten people of its existence.
In short, continuing legacy is the way to preserve Patua and Patachitra.
References
How a Bengal Muslim Village Keeps Ancient Patachitra Art Alive Through Innovation – Frontline https://share.google/zyBANHOAZuZhtLP6t
Bengal Patachitra weaves tales of resilience and expression https://share.google/NstlqhjaFEfQx5Vap
Technique of Pata Chitra https://share.google/kcj5tL1kVs9mTd3ll
Myths and Folktales in the Patachitra Art of Bengal: Tradition and Modernity – The Chitrolekha Journal on Art and Design https://share.google/GEWFPoDacmTWhdkKp
Patua: The Artistry of Narrative Scrolls https://share.google/gYIQpqhZmlL115Z5Y
Patua Painting – International Indian Folk Art Gallery
https://share.google/UWmnpgN4hPntc3xZm