The palette is muted, the figures are bold, but what is most striking is the narrative that emerges from the series of paintings on the wall. The culmination of a project lasting 18 months is currently on view at Rajendralal Mitra Bhavan of Asiatic Society in CL Block.The show is on till August 14, 4pm to 7pm, except Sunday
These are patachitra paintings by tribal communities from the foothills of the Susunia hills in Bankura. On the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, August 9, an exhibition of their works, titled Nascency, was inaugurated. The day is a global initiative to honour the rich cultural diversity, histories and contributions of indigenous communities.
“I visited Bankura for the first time in November 2021. After the pandemic, many of the artists had given up painting and were working as hired agricultural hands. The other problem was even if they painted, they used chemical colour,” said Reena Dewan, chairperson, Bridging Culture and Arts Foundation.
She got Botanical Survey of India experts to hold a workshop at the village to teach them how palash, turmeric, Malabar spinach or hyacinth bean could be used to prepare organic colours. The artistes were later brought to Calcutta to hone their skills further. They were also encouraged to remember forgotten tribal lores and portray through patachitra.
Visitors to the show can read and see illustrations of the Santhal equivalent of the Adam and Eve story, involving Pichu Haram and Pichu Buri, who, instead of tasting an apple, had simply got drunk on hnaria.
The inauguration was attended by Craft Council of India president emerita Ruby Palchoudhuri, Australian deputy consul general Kevin Goh, Asiatic Society president Swapan Kumar Pramanick and general secretary Satyabrata Chakrabarti.