Patua art - Painted scrolls

Patua Painting is a form of Scroll Painting indigenous to West Bengal, a state in India. In Bengali, "Pat" means "scroll" and "Patua" or "Chitrakar" means "Painter". The origin of the painted scrolls is very ancient which narrates mythological and historical stories. It is also a part of an elaborate cultural performance, where the scroll is unrolled frame by frame while the artist narrates mythological and historical stories through song, which typically lasts five to fifteen minutes. The paintings are traditionally made from handmade paper, backed with cloth. Scrolls are typically 8 to 15 feet long and contain vibrantly painted scenes of a mythology or history story. Indigenous plants and minerals are still used to create the paint, including turmeric, vermillion, and burnt rice.

Their stories also depict Hindu saints and Muslim saints, sometimes related to catholic missionaries. With changing times, the Patuas have crafted their message accordingly. Now they create scrolls reflecting social issues, such as literacy and environment. With globalization, Patuas are responding with stories featuring international issues, but with a local twist. The themes are inspired by the sacred texts of each of these religions. Subjects are added some blasphemous ones which go from historical epics which evokes French Revolution, bombing of Hiroshima or even Mother Teresa. They also speak about political subjects like the regrouping of the lands or the family planning. Thus is still developing one of the most ancient patrimonies.

The Patuas of Mednipore (West Bengal) have practiced this art for centuries and have adapted their art form according to the needs of the time, which has ensured that Patua Painting is one of the few surviving indigenous art forms of the region. The Patuas visit villages and go from house to house with their bag of scrolls. They narrate stories while unrolling the scrolls and in return of his services he gets paid in cash or kind. With the change of time and since the advent of modern communications, the Patuas are losing their traditional audiences and are now attracting Western tourists. They travel to hotels where they sell their scrolls to tourists as 'folk art' -- minus the songs.

Dilli Haat is an open-air food plaza cum craft bazaar located in Delhi, run by Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC). At present Delhi has two such bazaars, one near the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Sri Aurobindo Marg, opposite INA Market on Sri Aurobindo Marg established in 1994. The second, Dilli Haat is situated in Pitampura, in North Delhi, at Netaji Subash Place was established in April 2008. Dilli Haat has permanent food stalls representing each state of India, giving a complete variety of tastes available all over India, while the crafts stall change every 15 days.

Source - Wikipedia

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