The Patuas of Nayagram: a journey and its ups and downs

Abstract

Patachitra is a form of folk painting, popular mainly in the Indian states of West Bengal and Odisha. It is done on cloth by the natural pigments and homemade adhesives. Patachitra is considered as one of the most important ethnic traditions of India. The simplicity and the highly stylized coordination of bold lines and bright colours of Patachitra and its narrative approach of storytelling may attract any of the artists and art researchers. It was considered as a dying tradition. In the recent years, by the support of several government and social organizations, the art has revived. Through their effective initiatives the new generation of the Patuas (Who creates Patachitras) are getting new platform to be recognized for their hereditary skill and new marketplace to sell their work. Nayagram is a village of the Indian state of West Bengal. All the residents of Nayagram are Patuas. This place is getting popularity for the artistic talent of its people, by the support of the government and social organizations.   This research paper is trying to identify the means of development for this kind of ethnic art and artists by studding Nayagram as a model. It is mainly a field work based study to know the on ground reality. Shyamsudar Chitrakar, a veteran Patua of Nayagram was interviewed to learn the real history of Nayagram. On the other hand the young talented woman Patua, Sonia Chitrakar was interviewed to know how she is approaching towards the future betterment of this traditional art form and the and her struggle as a woman belonging from such a marginal community. After compiling their inputs with the other information about the village from both the primary and literary sources the research finds the first four families of Patuas of Nayagram who were given land to live by Gunadhar Bishal, a wealthy farmer who was a lover of art as well. Gradually their relatives (Patuas) also started to come to live at Nayagram. Thus the place was identified by the government and social workers as the place of Patuas and the art of Patachitra. This Paper deliberates the initiatives to identify the challenges and prescribes probable solutions to develop other dying ethnic traditions in the world after studding Nayagram as a model of development.