A Paintbrush that Sings
Patachitra of Bengal is an art form that acquaints us with the true essence of India. The Naya Village in Pingla, West Midnapur district of West Bengal is the hub of Patachitra. The 80 families of the village are practising this art for generations. Patachitra is a form of painting done with natural colours, depicting both folk lores and current affairs simultaneously.
The artists who paint, compose songs on the topic as well and sing them too. The riot of colours, the simple yet bold strokes of the paintings make them the unadulterated narration of the artists’ creative minds.
Patachitra of Bengal is a famous art form that dates back to a time immemorial. The artists do not hold high degrees of conventional education, but general knowledge, derived from everyday life make them wise and knowledgeable. Their hearts bear compassion that true education aims at. ”Painting came before script and it was used as a medium of reporting, opines Bahadur Chitrakar, son of Baharjan. Putting a sole effort, and of course a fortune, Bahadur has created an archive in his own house. His collection of books and journals, is amazing, would be an understatement when you get to know that he has studied only upto 4th standard in school.
“I learnt it from my grandma” murmured Baharjan Chitrakar as she guided her great granddaughter who is about 10. Baharjan is now nearing 70 and she still paints. She is the prized artist of one of the 80 families of Naya village in Pingla, West Midnapore district of West Bengal, all of whom share the same surname, Chitrakar which means painter. They believe that they only have one religion and that is they are artists. The Chitrakars of Pingla are carrying forward the core values of humanity down generations. So called religious bias could never restrict their approach towards life. Thus Baharjan, by birth belonging to Muslim community, paints and sings the stories of Hindu mythology. Each and every patachitra showcased here, are examples of fine art and the beauty of simple living.
Without ever crossing the threshold of a school, Baharjan is aware of what is going on outside her village. She knows how the pandemic has hit the world. So she painted patachitra on Covid and composed songs to spread awareness amongst the people of the remote villages.
These artists are now in great distress as the pandemic has literally collapsed their income. Yet Baharjan is passing on the art to her great grandchildren.
