Patachitra: Narrative Visuals

The Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Textiles, Government of West Bengal, and UNESCO, New Delhi, began a collaborative project in the year 2013 to develop ‘Rural Craft Hubs’ across districts of West Bengal. As per the official website of the project, the aim was to build a database on the socio-economic conditions of craftspeople, recommend policy reforms and sustain traditional crafts across the state as viable enterprises. Between December 2013 and September 2016, the project covered 10 forms of craft – including Sitalpati, Sholapith, Chau masks, Patachitra, Kantha – and 3,000 artists. Initially designed for a course of 30 months, the project in its present phase aims to cover 50,000 artists across 20 districts in West Bengal.

This brochure covers the patachitra style of painting practiced in the Naya village, a Rural Craft Hub located in the Pingla block of Paschim Medinipur district. This 24-page document is divided into 11 sections: the location (section 1); the craft (section 2); the artists (section 3); the raw materials (section 4); the process (section 5); the products (section 6); heritage education (section 7); exchange and collaboration (section 8); the festival (section 9); the folk art centre (section 10); directory (section 11).

The brochure describes patachitras as a form of “visual storytelling” which are accompanied by songs performed by traditional practitioners known as patuas. Patachitra from West Bengal was given a GI (geographical indication) tag in the year 2018. In addition to mythological themes gleaned from sources like the Mangal Kavyas and the Ramayana, patachitras also depict historical events like partition of Bengal and the struggle for India’s independence. Patachitras traditionally adhered to three distinct formats of scroll painting: Jarano or Gutano pata (vertical scrolls or patas consisting of 10-15 frames), Arelatai pata (horizontal patas with 3-6 frames) and Chauka pata (square or rectangle patas usually depicting a single subject).

Artists in Naya have formed a collective called ‘Chitrataru’ covering 70 households and 254 artists, the brochure states. An art centre – supported by the West Bengal Khadi and Village Industries Board, Government of West Bengal – “designed to preserve the traditional art form” is managed by local artists in Naya. The brochure also outlines different steps of crafting a patachitra – from sourcing colours to the painting and drying processes. Interspersed with photographs, the brochure provides details on the annual pot maya festival organised by patuas across Pingla since the year 2010. Spanning three days, the festival is an avenue to popularise the craft, its people and their labour.

Focus by Dipanjali Singh.