Patachitra on Wooden Coaster. Flower Design

A very old piece done by the senior artist of the village of Pingla, Baharjan Chitrakar. She has never been to a school or has never had a formal training in the art. She learnt it from her mother and grandmother as they learnt from their older generations. Done in all natural colours, the Hindu god Ganesha comes alive by the hands of a Muslim female artist. Such is the power of art. It takes one and all way beyond religious, educational or cultural barriers. 

Mirabai is an immortal character who expressed her devotion to Lord Krishna through her music. This painting of Mirabai belongs to the typical Pata Shilpa gharana of Bengal. The simple yet bold strokes are the signature style of these artists who are the children of the soil. With these paintings, they tell the stories of Mirabai through songs, composed by themselves. This piece is created by Bahadur Chitrakar. 

The location of these Patachitra Shilpi or artists falls in a place, popularly known as Jangal Mahal in West Bengal. The area is home to a number of indigenous tribes like Santhals, Vills, Mundas. The paintings, for obvious reasons, depict the tribal culture. One such example by Nazra Chitrakar, who learnt the art from her older generations and is now passing it on to her successors. This painting shows the courtship of a young tribal couple, surrounded by their friends and playmates. 

This painting, by Bahadur Chitrakar, is a scene from the Manasa Mangal, also known as Padmapuran, a folk lore based on Hindu mythology. The deity of snakes, Devi Manasa is one of the protagonists of the story who compels Chand Saudagar, a rich businessman, to worship her by hook or crook. Chand was a worshipper of Shiva and he would never want to pay homage to Manasa. To fulfil her desire, Manasa sends her snakes to bite Chand’s son Lakhindar to death. Behula, the wife of Lakhindar, takes all the pain to make piece between Manasa and Chand, and subsequently gets back her husband to life.