Artistic Expression
Juel Narzari
The indigenous paintings in India have been handed down from generation to generation. The paintings reflect the myriad realities of day-to-day life, drawn from mythology and legend and encompass the tribal / folk art from across the country. It paints a panorama of emotions, situations, poses. The tribal artists in Jharkhand that have nurtured the art of scroll painting which has long been used during story telling performances is one of the perfect example. This art form is known as 'Paitkar'/Pathkar painting. But, India entering to globalization, it is struggling for its survival.
"Paitkar/Pathkar painting is a traditional style of paintings that we work to keep alive for the benefit of the people. It has a colorful history and steeped in Bengali culture. It involves worship of the Goddess Mansa, the tradition of giving alms and performing yajna," said Anil Chitrakar, the painter who uses the scrolls to narrate a tale.
The story telling tradition through Paitkar paintings dates back to around five centuries. It involves the depiction of tales of Indian mythology or local folklore on paper that run on a scroll. "The people sit through out the story-telling session which involves scroll paintings and it is supported by traditional songs. These paintings give a philosophical view about life and death," added Anil Chitrakar.
This narration is now done on paper and it is derived from traditional wall paintings. The handmade paper is treated with earth and glue, and the designs are brushed on in water-based paint made from natural pigments.
The designs get a different touch and texture as artists use unusual medium like a comb through the paint. Typical subjects include animals, birds, and plants. The practitioners of the art of 'Paitkar' painting are individuals coming from some specific families in Amadubi village.
It is told that they use natural colors instead of modern dyes or colors. There is the ochre color derived from a certain kind of earth/stone. Then, there are colors obtain from crushed stone, leaves of certain trees, and their beans. But none of these are easily available, and are often expensive; they have to travel deep into jungles to obtain them. Then the method of extraction is also tedious, as they have to grind them to derive the required dyes, Anil added.
Finally asked what their future plan is. Anil's added that his mission is to hold an open-air school for the village children and teach them how to create the Paitkar/Pathkar paintings in scroll form. He is confident in his mission despite tremendous impact of globalization to sustain and propagate this artistic painting.
