Three-day exhibition on Sunderbans’ Patachitra kicks-off

The Directorate of Forest, South 24-Parganas Division in collaboration with the Kolkata Society for Cultural Heritage (KSCH) is hosting a three-day exhibition in Kolkata highlighting Sundarban’s Patachitra (scroll painting).

The initiative aims to highlight the rich culture of Sunderbans where humans and tigers cohabit while islands disappear and reappear with the tidal cycles. The region is frequently impacted by cyclones, forcing its residents to fight against all odds. However, even in the midst of such tumult its residents have kept the lamp of hope burning as evidenced from the Patachitras originating from this region of West Bengal. Patachitra or Pattachitra is a general term for traditional, cloth-based scroll painting indigenous to the eastern Indian states of Odisha, West Bengal and parts of Bangladesh. The artform is known for its intricate details as well as mythological narratives and folktales inscribed on it.

KSCH has been working to preserve and restore these Patachitras of the Sunderbans for more than two years. Its president, Arpita Mukherjee claimed that by obtaining numerous research documents and data from the National Library they were able to learn a great deal about the Sunderbans paintings of that era. About 40 women from Sunderbans were trained in the art style that emerged at Jharkhali.

“This is one of the proposals to make this art economically viable and sustainable in the Sunderbans in a different way. Its commercial expansion will consequently accelerate, adding to the workload. These women won’t have to work in the jungle to survive. If we can sustain it then it can be a story of women empowerment, sustainable economy and revival of a lost art form”, said Milan Kanti Mondal, DFO, South 24 Parganas Division.

The exhibition, set to continue till April 11 at Gallery Gold Kolkata, was inaugurated by the UK Deputy High Commissioner, Dr. Andrew Fleming in the presence of other guests. The exhibition aims to play a pivotal role in promoting tourism and fostering a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness between urban and rural landscapes.