Patachitra-A Micro Scale Industry: Overview and Challenges

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Patachitra-A Micro Scale Industry: Overview and Challenges

Journal Title: IOSR journal of Business and Management - Year 2018, Vol 20, Issue 3

Abstract

India is an ancient nation of rich cultural heritage and a home of the different religion with a vast diversity in tradition and language. In India GDPs major portion has been contributed through industrial and service sector, with the change in time and aspect the working community had moved from agricultural to small scale industrial sector due to lack of irrigation facilities and dependency on the natural environment to a large extent which leads to failure in most of the times. Due to this paradigm shift from agricultural to industrial and service sector thus the position of Indian economy had improved a lot. But the story of success is not yet accomplished, as most of the venture has grown up in rural and semi-urban areas are facing inadequate infrastructural and financial problems.[1] Many people had taken Folk-art as their profession to earn their livelihood, which they inherited from their ancestors. Folk-art is a branch of art, which is performed by words of mouth and developed in folk-groups and in folk clusters. In India folk-art is being generally formed by the illiterate or semi-illiterate people living in rural areas and semi-urban areas, their economic condition is very poor and do not have any modern technological concept of art. They generally follow the traditional concept of art which they had inherited from their forefathers. Particularly in the case of Patachitra we may be observed that this type of folk-art is ethnic in nature and in a form, it is very colourful, and also it bears a traditional and cultural element of country's rich heritage. Pattachitra is a general term for traditional cloth based scroll painting in eastern states of India mainly Odisha and West Bengal. In the Sanskrit language, "Patta" literally means "cloth" and "Chitra" means "picture". These paintings are based on Hindu mythology and tribal folklore as well as social messages and narrations on contemporary events. This traditional patuas or chitrakaars ramble from village to village, entertaining and educating village folks in return for their performance, they are remunerated by the villagers for the hard work with rice, vegetables, and coins. All colours used in the paintings are natural and extracted from different flowers and fruits. The Patua community of West Bengal both of PaschimMidnapore and Kaligath has practiced the ancient craft of patachitra since the 10th Century. These patuas or chitrakaars would unfold each hand-painted scroll and sing pater gaan or narrative songs frame by frame, that they had composed themselves. The paper attempts to discuss in details about Patachitra, the lifestyle and work of patuas or chitrakaars, and the problems faced by them in earning their livelihood.

Authors and Affiliations

Subhamoy Banik, Utpal Kundu

Keywords

Patachitra Chitrakaars economic status of patuas

EP ID EP410137
DOI 10.9790/487X-2003122429.
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