Lets Thrive Not Threaten Our Children

Kolkata woke up to an unsavory morning the day the newspapers flashed the news of the unnatural death of Rauvan Rawla, a 12 year old student of La Martiniere, a couple of days after he was caned by the principal of the school. Though corporal punishment has been banned reports of deaths due to such punishments in schools are often reported by the media. What is more shocking is that schools like La Martiniere which are considered to be the vanguard of educational institutes of Kolkata as well as India can indulge in such insalubrious methods. Further the statement by Principal Sunirmal Chakrobarty that he was unaware of the fact that corporal punishment was banned makes the incident all the more alarming. Incidents of corporal punishments in schools have become ubiquitous now; quite often does the media flash reports of deaths or permanent physical harm caused due to corporal punishment in schools. It’s a shame on our education system, and needs to be dealt seriously or parents will loose faith on teachers and educational institutes and that will prove disastrous in the long run.
Punishments are an integral part of maintaining discipline. Whether at home or in school, guardians or the school authority need to maintain discipline which calls for the application of punishment to the erring children. The purpose of punishment is to correct the child and show him the right path in order to make him a better human being. It is a corrective measure and should be used sensibly. Children will be children and it’s the duty of the elders to be patient with them while reprimanding their faults. A proper balance between admiration and admonition from the beginning helps in creating an ideal situation whereby the child gets to know his limit and behaves accordingly. Schools are supposed to be the places which forms and develops the character of a child. It’s very important for the governing authority to cogitate deeply before implementing the rules and regulations of the institutions. The major influence that any school imparts on its students is through the teachers. It is therefore of utmost importance to be selective about employing the teachers. There should be proper counseling and workshop for the teachers so that they can handle the students with patience and perseverance. One can argue that at times situation becomes so uncontrollable that severe punishments become the only option. It’s quite understandable that some children are too unruly and intrepid and gives the teachers a real tough time. And it becomes difficult to tackle them. But then there should be innovative methods that are corrective but harmless, under no situation should the disciplinary method pose a threat to the child’s health let alone his life. But often it is seen that punishment becomes a tool of purgation whereby the school authorities drain out their frustration thus resulting in dire incidents like that of Rauvan Rawla.  
With the change of time the behavior of kids has also changed. They are more intelligent and outgoing now. Besides, the social perspective has also undergone a sea change. Today’s kid faces situations and problems that were not there in the past. They now face varied problems that range from stressed family life to single parents. It’s quite natural that these factors will exert some negative impact on the children. Incidents of outrageous activities by school children are often reported in the newspapers. These are not just stray incidents but reflect a disturbed youth. It’s important to delve deeper to the issue and find out the root cause of such unrest among our young generation. What Rauvan did (bursting stink crackers in class) is definitely something outrageous and unnerving and gives a picture of the kid’s nature. It’s definitely a tough job to handle the chutzpah of such students. But then these are the situations that put the qualities of a teacher to test. It’s the deft handling of these incidents that is what makes a good teacher, one that schools like La Martiniere boasts of. Besides, it’s important to find out what triggered Rauvan to do such a thing. It’s not normal for anyone to bring crackers in school. Anyone with a normal and healthy frame of mind would not have thought of doing anything of the sort. There must have been some unrest and lack of normalcy in his behavior that went unnoticed both by his parents and teachers. The other day only there was a report in the newspapers that a boy killed his father just because he refused to listen to his son and continued to talk on the boy’s mobile. Its time we start giving serious thoughts on the increasing unrest among the children. The increasing violence and seediness that’s developing among today’s kids, the impatience and petulant behavior, the don’t care attitude- shouldn’t be ignored or that will snowball into a graver problem and pose a threat to the society. What appear as a nominal mood swing can be signs of severe depressions. According to psychiatrists, children are more sensitive than adults and even the apparent innocuous incidents like that of being rebuked in front of others can leave an indelible mark on their psyche. Teenagers are all the more vulnerable and their impressionable minds get hurt quite easily. The changes that occur in their biological formation during this period makes then more sensitive and prone to mental injury. It’s very important for the schools and also for the parents to handle teenage kids with utmost care and sensitivity. According to psychiatrist, Dr. Shiladitya Roy, among the cases that comes to him, the most complicated ones are those of teenage kids. He says that at times even the psychiatrists are at a loss on how to deal with the complexity of the problems. This happens because most parents tend to ignore the changes of behavior in their children and seek help only when the situation goes out of control. There is a general ignorance in our country about the negative effect of punishment on children; this often results in severe mental trauma to the kids who take drastic steps to show their protests, says Dr. Roy. He further insists that while it’s important for the schools to be sensitive and patient it’s also important for the parents at home to keep a vigilant eye on their wards. Discipline too like charity begins at home. It’s the responsibility of the parents to instill the basic disciplinary methods in their kids from the very beginning. In today’s world of fast and stressed life with both parents working, it often so happens that the child is left on his/her own with no one to correct his behavior. Besides, the parents out of their guilt of not being able to give proper time to their kids indulge in mollycoddling them boundlessly. This creates a sense of arrogance in the children which gets reflected in their activities in schools and elsewhere. Children are god’s blessings and are to be loved and protected. But as it is said that too much of anything is bad too much of affection and love also prove to be harmful in the long run as it often spoils the child’s character.  
Rauvan Rawla’s death should be an eye opener to both the schools and the parents so that we don’t loose any more Rauvans. The principal, Sunirman Chakrobarty, has iterated that the untimely death of Rauvan was a painful incident for him and the school. Besides while speaking to The Teleghraph, Chakrobarty said, “it may be difficult to manage boys without strong disciplinary measures but with it being banned we will look for other methods that are positive, innovative and effective. That is going to be the way forward.”  
The parents send their children to school bestowing utmost trust and faith on the school authority and it’s the responsibility of the schools not to disappoint them. Children are like flowers their growth should be thrived and not threatened.   

Husain as a Painter

From four to six annas to millions of dollars, from painting cinema Hoardings to Mother Teresa, the spectrum of Maqbool Fida Husain’s career gets wider and wider. Husain who is now a name to reckon with began his career in Mumbai as a banner artist painting cinema hoardings for Bollywood movies. This together with his early experience of copying the Koran by hand in fluid calligraphy cast a major influence on his paintings. As a pioneer of the avant-garde Progressive Artist Group in Mumbai in 1947, Husain like many young artists of that euphoric period of India’s Independence was anxious to forge a new vocabulary in Indian art. His constant zeal to do something different and creative urged him to experiment with new ideas and mediums. The deft fusion of tradition with modernity that has become the hallmark of Hussain’s paintings started with the use of motifs from sources like Indian temple sculpture and Indian miniatures. He is considered to be the van guard of Modern painting in India.

During his childhood he often carried his painting kit on his bicycle and went to the countryside of Indore to paint the landscapes of the place. In 1933 he moved to Mumbai and started his career as a hoarding artist. After the Partition of India in 1947, Husain decided to stay in India. In the same year his painting, Sunhera Sansar, was displayed at the annual exhibition of Bombay Art Society. Subsequently he joined the Progressive Artist’s Group and it was here that he came to know about the works of Emil Nolde and Oskar Kokoschka and was strongly influenced by them. His exposure to the greater world of art and paintings nourished and groomed the inherent ingenious painter in him and soon his paintings came to the limelight through a series of exhibitions all over India. These painting focused on some of his favorite subjects that included life on streets, woman and horse and mythological as well as religious personages. His paintings like “Amusement in the Street” and “The Puppet Dancers” reflect forms of life on street. That was the beginning of what proved to be a long and successful career. During the next decade Husain traveled extensively to China, Switzerland, the UK and the US.  In 1971 he was especially invited at the Sao Paulo Biennial to paint along with Pablo Picasso. There he created 29 paintings on Draupadi, the mythological character of the epic- Mahabharata. Some of his best known works known as Sufi paintings were first exhibited at the Pundole Gallery in 1978. In the 80’s Husain became popular as well as controversial. The Shwetambari exhibition at the Jahangir Art Gallery consisted of two halls covered with white cloth, whorls of which also occupied the floor together with torn newspapers. Later, he gave a public performance at the Tata Centre in Kolkata. For several days he enthralled the crowd with his paintings of six goddesses. On the last day of the exhibition he destroyed his paintings by over painting with white paint.

During the British Raj the creativity of Indian art suffered a setback as the English compelled the Indian artist’s to paint landscapes in water and oil color. But with the political upsurge in India emerged the famous revivalist school. Ace painters like Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose pioneered this school of art. Their contribution in reshaping the Indian art can hardly be overemphasized. They also influenced others to follow their school of thoughts. M F Hussain was one who was influenced by them. Prior to Husain, Nandalal Bose was known for his expertise in painting themes based on epics and exploring Asian Art. Besides, like Husain, Nandalal was also known for his works on Indian mythology, Villages and women.

It’s strange that though he is called the Indian Picasso, he did not quite like Pablo Picasso’s works in the beginning as he could not relate to the purely western ideas of Picasso’s art works. Whereas, like Picasso Husain invented new strategies to market his own art. The first artist outside India who influenced Husain’s imagination was Rembrandt. His paintings of human faces haunted the Indian painter so much that he collected pictures of human faces from newspapers to draw them later.

Art knows no boundaries and cannot be circumscribed by thumb rules. This idea gets revivified in the paintings of M F Hussain that remains as the emphatic understanding of the human situation. The master painter’s ingenious ideas and motifs were instrumental in heralding Modernism in the history of Indian art. His synthesis of the works of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque with Indian subjects likes Hindu, Muslim and secular created outstanding modern art. According to the director of the Cogut Centre for the Humanities, Mr. Michel Steinberg, “Husain’s paintings are unique for their profundity and their playfulness, for their ability to explore themes of cultural history and legacy in a context of explosive color and beauty.” From India’s sensuous ancient sculptures, the pied hues of Rajasthani miniature paintings to the lines and forms of Picasso and Braque, Husain’s paintings are rooted to the Indian visual culture as well as social and religious traditions.

The charisma of Husain’s paintings has redefined Indian art. The early evolution of his painterly language was overtaken by adventurous forays into installations and performing art. His experiments with new forms of art are both unforeseen and original. The maestro has painted on a wide array of subjects. From British Raj, to the major cities like Kolkata, Benaras, Rome, Beijing his paintings are known for bold use of color and innovative ideas. His paintings on The Mahabharata, Mother Teresa and the nine major religions of the world have created milestones in his career graph. His big mural around forty feet in height named as the Portrait of the 20^th century constitutes all the major personalities of art, science, dance Literature, politics and so on. Besides the series of his paintings on the Bollywood beauty Madhuri Dixit created much ripples during the 90’s.

Husain’s paintings of horses have become famous both in India and abroad. He has been painting horses since his childhood. As a child he used to see the Muharram procession where the Muslim people carry bright tazias that represent the tombs as they lament the death of Hazarat Imam Husain, grandson of the prophet Mohamed. The procession also included horses symbolizing the historical horse Duldul that belonged to Imam Husain. M F Husain was fascinated by those horses since his childhood. Husain’s horse is denotes a combination of male and female. It’s like Ardh Nariswar (half man-woman). The front part of the horse stands for the male part and is very aggressive while the back portion stands for woman and is full of grace. In Husain’s own words, His horses are “charging like a dragon in the front and graceful and elegant from the back.” Just a few mere lines drawn by the master painter to define the contours of a horse are capable of bringing to life the sheer power, the very unruly dynamic of a horse. A casual stroke of the ingenious artist’s brush while drawing the eye makes the raw energy of the horse effuse wildly. His obsession with horses continues till today. He is all set to set his famous horses against the UAE landscape in a landmark project celebrating the country’s 40^th anniversary (According to Emirates Business). This according to Husain is his tribute to the UAE. Besides, he is also working on a multimedia installation. The project will see five horses cast from Murano glass, all between six and eight feet tall, paired with five of his favorite cars on a rotating platform.

Husain’s enigmatic painting style and vibrant use of colors took him to the peak of success and his fame and popularity shaded all other painters in India. After a long and colorful career his work suddenly became controversial in 1996. His nude paintings of Hindu gods and goddesses created much brouhaha in India and many legal cases were launched against him. Following the death threats and legal actions, Husain went to exile in Qatar. Among the paintings that created trouble for Husain, the nude Saraswati and Bharatmata were most criticized. However, according to the eminent artist, Paras Dasot “when an artist delves deep in his creation then everything else except his ‘art’ and ‘soul’ tend to loose their meaning….the confluence of which leads to creation of a beautiful artwork.” It’s actually a deft fusion of art, science and culture. The painting upholds the idea that, Saraswati, the goddess of art in her dedication becomes so involved and lost that dress and other physical aspects becomes immaterial. It’s this involvement and dedication that endows her with divinity. What makes the painting more interesting is Husain’s use of the scientific principal ‘refraction’. This together with the use of fishes, peacock, and lotus as objects of adornment for the artwork makes the painting all the more intriguing. Another painting that created much furor is the painting of nude Bharatmata. Protests were made over Husain’s depiction of Bharatmata as a naked woman in an exposed position with names of Indian States on various parts of her bare body and her hand which supposedly stands for a part of North Kashmir, chopped off or invisible. Organisations like Vishva Hindu Parishad, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Bharatiya Janata Party, Bajrang Dal and Hindu Jagruti Samiti opposed to this painting as they believed that it caused harm to the sentiments of the Hindu.

The world of art being quintessentially different from that of the common men, confusion often arises among the masses to understand the artists’ ideas and thoughts. One of the primary issues that create confusion is ‘nudity’. Quoting Paras Dasot again, “nudity, in the context of art, is like having a glimpse of a mother giving birth to a child.” Most people fail to understand the subtle difference that is there between nudity in general and nudity in art. It’s extremely important to understand and appreciate this difference before criticizing a work of art otherwise society will run the risk of loosing the value and virtue associated with art. According to the acclaimed Bengali painter Jagannath Paul, “we are supposed to be a democratic country, but an artist does not even have the right to think here….we are surrounded by art, but sadly don’t know how to interpret it. Everything is taken at face value. When I look at Husain saab’s painting, I don’t look at whether it is a goddess or a layman, whether it is fully-clothed figure or a stark-nude depiction; I look at the confidence of his brush strokes and that makes me realize that this man has god speaking through him. Why will he insult that same god?” While Jogen Chowdhury another famed painter of the 21^st century India, believes that the opposition and intolerance is actually the fall out of ‘Talibanisation’ of India. He further says, “What is shocking in India is the growing intolerance of people towards creative peoples’ freedom of expression. The majority of people are waging a war against creativity. Taliban-style, all because one section of the citizenry who are religious fundamentalists see offence in harmless words and brush strokes.”

Maqbool Fida Husain has created a place for himself in the history of art and nothing can undo that now. Wherever he stays he will remain an Indian and his works will be appreciated for their true artistic values. Art is a gift of god and this beautiful form of expression has been made further beautiful by the master strokes of Husain, the art maestro. His name is now a metaphor to contemporary Indian art and his paintings speak for themselves. Rooted to the traditional culture and having an open and innovative mindset, Husain has become one of the most prominent figures in the Indian art industry. Enigmatic in character, maverick in ways of life, M F Husain is known for his vigorous appreciation of the human circumstances and that can be traced from his masterpieces.

Drumming It Up at the US

Both beat their own drums and beat them to utter bliss. The resonations of their beats have transcended the frontiers and are now reverberating at the distant sky. Originally from Bengal, the two percussionists, Tabla players to be precise, have gone a long way to promote Indian classical music in the US.

Today’s the melodious and wide range of sounds of the Tablas are being used to the fullest by many leading western musicians, music directors and popular bands in the west be it pop, jazz or fusion music. Very recently the famous banjo player Bel Afleck from Nashville, USA, did a world tour of fusion music where Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussein was his main rhythm support with Zakirji playing Tablas. Numerous similar examples can be found on the web. Tabla as a percussion instrument has been playing a major and dominant role in the world of music, in classical and other forms, for many decades now.

Aditya Narayan Banerjee was working at an Engineering farm and was pursuing tabla as a hobby, when in 1988 he got associated with Padmavibhusan Pandit Jasraj Ji the Living Legend of Indian vocal music. He turned Aditya into a professional percussionist. “In 1995 he encouraged me to leave my job and took me to Mumbai with him. Slowly I started spreading my music to all over India. And then it was time to spread my wings further across. In 1999 I performed with him at “Parliament of world religion”  Capetown, South Africa and then in 2002 at “ world music festival for the Royal Family of Great Britain” Harryford, UK. In 2004 Jan he took me to USA as a “Director of Percussion” for his music school at Tampa, Florida. That was the beginning of my present vocation as a promoter of Indian classical music in the US,” elucidated Banerjee.    Presently he works with his friend, Sri Anil Khare at a school named “Taalsadhana” at New Jersy. He is also associated with “Yaman Arts Foundation”, at Delaware; the institute has its main branch at Sreeampore, Hooghly of West Bengal, Banerjee’s home town. Aditya has attained the arer feat of performing at White House with Pandita Tripti Mukherjee on occasion of Diwali in 2007.

A complete percussionist now, Aditya began his training in the left hand and right hand drums at early age of five. “I started my training under guidance of Sri Shivshankar Karmakar, a prominent disciple of LateUstad Karamatullah Khan of Farukhabad Gharana. From 1990 I am under able guidance of the great tabla maestro Pandit Swapan Choudhuri, a great Exponent of Lucknow Gharana. While Pandit Madan Mohan Banerjee also a disciple of late Ustad Karamatullah Khan, taught me how to accompany with Vocal, Instrument & Dance,” recalled the passionate drummer.

His passion as a strummer has been lauded by veteran musicians of India and abroad and his assiduous training has produced a number of national and international talents. His students in the US are mainly spread among the regions of Tampa, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Delaware. Based in New Jersy, he is also associated with music schools at Philadelphia and Delaware. Though mostly Indians, there are also quite a few native Americans and West Indians who take lessons in tabla from this Indian player. “Americans are very serious in every aspect and same is true to music. They study and practice seriously till they execute. Their dedication to Indian classical music brings them to India during Nov to Feb to get the feel of our art and culture. They attend the live concerts and imbibes the spirit of India to enhance their understanding of the subject,” enthused Banerjee.

Doing a commendable job in propagating Indian classical in the form of Tabla is another young man from the City of Joy. Subhajyoti Guha, the young talent, has inherited music. “Genetically the sense of music and rhythm was already in my system as my father Dr Smriti Ranjan Guha was an amateur Tabla player and my mother Alpana Guha was an amateur Bharatnatyam dancer,” deliberates the music enthusiast. “My training in tabla started with my father. I also took lessons in vocal music at “Bani Chakra”, Kolkata. However my formal training at the Indian drums started in December 1983 when my father put me under the tutelage of my present Guru, the legendary table maestro Pandit Sankha Chatterjee who is the only table player in the world to have learned from three legends of table namely Ustad Masit Khan & Ustad Keramatullah Khan of Farukhabad Gharana and Ustad Allarakha Khan of Punjab Gharana. Guha has the fortune of having Ustad Keramatullah Khan, Ustad Allarakha, Pandit Shamta Prasad, Ustad Zakir Hussein and Pandit Kumar Bose as his mentors.

A Jadavpur University alumnus in Applied Maths, Guha dedicated himself to the service of propagating Indian classical music out of his sheer love for the same. After his initial years in India he decided to devote himself in spreading his passion and talent among the music lovers in the US. “My first trip to USA was in 1997 as a professional table player with the sole purpose of performing in Indian Classical Music concerts in different cities across USA. The response and interest among the Americans about Indian music overwhelmed me and I decided to do my best in spreading it among them. At present my main base outside India in Toronto, Canada. I have a good student base in Toronto with about 30 regular students and few floating ones. I also conduct workshops in other Canadian cities like Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton and Calgary. In USA I have students in Nashville, New York, Cincinnati, Los Angeles and Philadelphia who take lessons from me when I conduct workshops in those cities,” accounted the ardent musician. Having a sizable number of white Americans, with age group varying from 10-60, as his students, Guha feels that there is an increasing interest among the Americans about Indian classical music. “However, in Canada, mainly Toronto, a major section of my students is from the immigrant Sri Lankan community and the immigrant West Indian or Caribbean communities, the number of white Canadians being pretty less. An interesting fact is that I have a number of students with West Indian background as they all have Indian names and background as their forefathers were Indians and were working in the Caribbean Islands either as slaves or as businessmen during British regime. But they have always kept the India ness in them alive by learning and performing Indian Classical and semi Classical music. Their descendants are carrying on that tradition even after migrating to North America,” enunciated the young talent.

Though not the main stream music of USA, Indian music is being accepted and applauded by a considerable number of people in there. “Western Classical or Jazz musicians in USA have an interest for other new or different form of music and they consider Indian Classical music as a rich treasure trove. Then there is an upcoming group of people who are looking for inner or mental peace also resort to Indian Classical Music as a means of meditation and searching for inner peace or “NIRVANA”, “explained Subhojyoti. One main reason, feel Guha, for the interest in Indian music in US is the conventional yet free and experimental nature of our music as opposed to western classical music which is very rigid. “Since Americans are predominantly free spirited they have found our classical music to be very much their type and hence the positive response. As proof we can state the fact that since the time when Pandit Ravi Shankar first performed at the Woodstock Festival, the number of Indian Classical Music concerts happening in USA has increased every year,” added the young achiever.

Tabla has become the most popular Indian percussion instrument among Americans due to the strong and enjoyable rhythmic patterns and also due to the wide range of musical sounds that can be produced if played with sufficient skill and command. “There are no other pair of drums in the entire universe which can sound so romantic as well as bold at the same time and technically speaking has the most scientific and advanced methods of sound production. And it is this wide variety of sounds from the twin drums which is also compatible with American jazz, hip-hop and even rock n roll the acceptability of Tabla became even more widespread there in the past two decades. It is needless to say that there are numerous jazz, fusion and new age bands that are now using table as one of their main rhythmic instruments,” accounted Guha. “In today’s modern world of technology, by the use of heavy duty compressors and condenser microphones, the tabla can be made to sound as powerful as any other western or African drum. The icing on the cake is the sweetness and variety of sounds besides the power. Tabla, as an instrument, has the ability to attract any person from any corner of the globe,” added Subhojyoti.

Insomnia

Last few nights have been different….different in essence, different in experience and in understanding. Days were different too….but you don’t much get the time to experience the difference as the mundane rigmaroles of life keep you occupied. Days are much heavy they captivate the soul while nights with their peace and quietude liberate it. A liberty that let the turmoil and stress of the spirit sink in and insightful understanding prevail. My attainment of understanding occurred in one of these nights in a delectable experience that surmounted to be an epiphany.

In the last few nights I have befriended the twinkling trinkets that throng the night sky decking it up as a decorous damsel. My lack of knowledge in astronomy kept me from identifying them with their real names. But that didn’t come in the way of our building the bond as I christened them with new ones and they didn’t seem to mind. Once the magic of camaraderie started working we became confidants with our own secret omens of omerta and incognito. Not a single body (earthly or celestial) should know about our tryst- was the oath we took with all our vigor. And maintaining the code of conduct it’s only when absolute solitude prevails that our coterie carefully convenes. I now know each one by the names given by me and they know me by name and much more. Each meeting mounts to be a celebration of the spirit in a performance that balms all my earthly torments. Every night the masquerade of the hoary dazzlers wait for the opportune moment to stage their performance only for me. Sometimes it’s a ballet sometimes it’s a simple ballad-just as will suit my sweet disposition. “How do they foresee my mood?” I often wondered….until the other night when the star I secretly call my alter ego told me,” each one of us are actually part of you….if I am your alter ego others are your thoughts, believes, passions, romance, dreams, hatred, love, lust, longings and so on. It’s the microcosmic self to self chemistry that synchronizes us with the macrocosmic self that’s you. Hence the harmony.”  Harmony it is, exceedingly so. We harmonize to a Tee. And the harmony reaches its acme at those nights when the star resembling my passion sets the aerial stage on fire. It mingles with the fire that burns within me and creates a fascinating firework show that only I have the fortune to witness.

Each night now I wait in anticipation for the show to begin ceremoniously and then to end in a satiating manner quenching all my desires. As they leave they take with them a part of me and leave behind a part of infinity that they embody, thus enlightening me with the profound understanding that I am infinity and infinity is me. If loosing sleep means this I am prepared to spend the rest of my nights in such magnificent merriment.  

Baishali Mukherjee

Celebrations of colors

Patachitra, an ancient folk art of Bengal, was appreciated by art lovers for its effortless
style of drawings, colours, lines and space usage. The world Pata derived from the
Sanskrit word Patta means cloth. The painters are called Patuas. Patuas do not just
paint, they also sing as they unfurl the painting scroll to show it to the audience. These
songs are known as Pater Gaan. The songs are of wide variety ranging from traditional
mythological tales and tribal rituals to stories based on modern Indian history and
contemporary issues like protecting forests and preventing spread of HIV/AIDS. Patuas
generally use natural colours, which they procure from various trees, leaves, flowers
and clays. The art was traditionally confined to men but over the years women have also
made forays into this field.

However, Pingla started losing its luster as lack of recognition and economic viability
of their products de-motivated the Patuas and a sad saga of deskilling where the artists
earn their living by working in the fields as labourers or pulling van rickshaws, resonated
at the village corridors. Only handfuls were acclaimed and patronized by scholars and
connoisseurs of the folk art forms. Further Pater Gaan (songs sung by patuas) has
traditionally been passed down orally and with the demise of the aging Patuas many
songs were being lost for ever. The Patuas who earned by painting Patachitra had little
understanding or cooperation among themselves and priced their products absurdly.

Imbibing new hope into the artists and inspiring them back to their innate vocation
was a challenge ably handled by the NGO since 2004. Bottle necks were identified and
solutions were crafted according to the need keeping in mind the goal. In India traditional
art skills are not considered as ‘skills’, and this result in lack of confidence among the

artists thus making them indisposed towards it. Recognition and appreciation of an
effort is essential for its continuity and better performance. Keeping that in mind BNC
adopted a holistic methodology consisting of: baseline study on Knowledge Aptitude
and Practice of the practitioners; training of the artists in the quality improvement of
performance/ production, as well as in the basic business skills; creation of Self Help
Groups (SHGs) and the opening of the bank account for each of the SHGs; the provision
of health insurance to the artists and their family members. Self help groups formed with
women Patuas who worked in tandem with the male members for rejuvenation of the art
form. Veteran Patua Dukhushyam trained the new generation artists with songs that were
on the verge of being relegated to the oblivion. Horizons were broadened with crafting
new products like painted T-shirts, furnishing, stationery, painted furniture and other
home accessories. Life skill training programmes using Theatre in Development based
methodology gave them confidence to usher in the change towards quality life thrived
upon their inherent skills.

Any work of art remains incomplete till it gets its due recognition and value. Reaching
out to the desired appreciators is the seminal goal of any artistic piece. And for that,
there has to be proper market linkages to reach out to the cognoscente of the entire
world. Incidentally, the Operational Guidelines of the 2005 Convention of UNESCO
also encourage the countries to introduce support mechanism to translate cultural/artistic
expressions into viable cultural industries. As part of its experimental Art for Livelihood
project and with a view to giving direct market linkage to the patuas, banglanatak dot
com organized a first ever Patachitra fair in their own village in November 2010. The
event was attended by over 5000 people and brought to the artists a total turnover of
15.000 USD to the artists in 3 days. Since then, the village receives visitors from the
cities on a regular basis. Encouraged by the popularity, the villagers now maintain the
house and roads extremely clean and show readiness to learn English.

Broadening the horizons, though necessary for promotion of art, calls for building
capacity to appeal to the people with different background, belief and lifestyle.
Improvising the product and implementing the skills in newer mediums through
interdisciplinary projects is a candid approach to reach out globally. POTential and
POT PLANT, initiatives by BNC, did just that for the patua of Pingla. While, POTential
targeted at creating a platform for exchange, assimilation and innovation where the
traditional folk painters of Bengal worked with new media artists from UK, POT PLANT
enabled the Patachitra artists from Pingla and Chandipur work with new media artists
Tony Knox and Ruth Dillon from Planet Art Exchange, Liverpool.

Broadening the horizon is invariably followed by looking beyond it. And Moyna
Chitrakar’s voyage to China to participate in the 6th China International Cultural
Industries Fair held between 12th to 18th May, 2010, only vouches the fact. Patachitra

products were exhibited in a stall there and the artist had a sale of Rs 23,000/-. Patachitra
paintings painted on the life of Rabindranath Tagore were presented by Swarna Chitrakar
and Dukhushyam Chitrakarusing, with their ‘Pater Gaan’ explaining the paintings in
Paris. Swarna went to Paris again in Mar 2011 to open the French festival with her
Patachitra exhibition.

Toady the indigenous artists paint, sing, cook, tend to their children, and meet with the
SHGs. They discuss the problems and rewards of practicing their art, and speak freely
about the social, religious, political changes in the village and the world beyond. Their
wisdom, artistry, and good humour amidst many difficulties illuminate the lives around
them. Mud huts have given way to brick houses with sanitation and electricity. There is
a community resource centre in the village. Village festival held in the village is bringing
urban audience/customers to the villages, in addition to the conventional marketing
support, sending rural artists to attend the urban market. Women are now going abroad
with their object d'art to different melas across the country and abroad. The young girls
are enthusiastic about a much better life that their mothers. The women have brought land
with their savings.

What makes this saga of change and evolution all the more intriguing is the punctilious
efforts taken by the Patuas in harnessing their art to campaign against gender bias, child
rights, new born care, safe motherhood and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Pingla, today, has
resurrected itself to its original patina and can rightfully proclaim to be role model for
the likes of her. Visit Pingla one weekend and witness the collective magic of colour and
cadence- For seeing is believing!!

Need and Greed

Need and Greed, as much similar the pronunciation may sound; the meanings of the words differ seminally. The former is essentially circumscribed while the later overwhelmingly boundless. Need is something that stands constant for everyone while the spectrum of greed is so wide that it cannot even be properly framed. What is more interesting is the fact that these two terms are the quintessential yardstick of determining one’s “happiness”- the happiness of the soul, something that we all desire but very few enjoy. In our pursuit of material assets and social recognition we tend to ignore the soul-(what it wants and how little it wants). As a result, at the end of the day most of us are left we the feeling of either unhappiness or dissatisfaction or cravings for more. And the more we get the more the craving grows. It’s a vicious circle that engulfs us in the process of attaining material pleasure and happiness of the body and mind. Unless a person is happy inside, he/she can never enjoy peace, because peace has nothing to do with earthly pleasures. A so called pauper can be much at peace with life than a prince, if his life is need driven rather than greed driven. It takes very little to be happy, but our greed inveigles us to into doing things that we would not otherwise have done, thus resulting in high level of stress, aggravation and agitation. Time is ripe to cogitate on this impending evil that is gradually but steadily enshrouding our lives.

While delving the issue certain things come to the fore-

1. People living in big cities undergo major amount of stress and agitation.
2. Higher the echelon, more the stress.

How to write online articles:

An online reader is normally more objective and less attentive than an offline one. Therefore, online writing is also different from a literary piece. There are certain dos and don’ts of writing an online article.

First let us look at the dos:

*Choose a topic you are comfortable with. It must have some important information or views to offer to the readers.

*Put across your ideas in as simple way and as brief as possible.

*Write to-the-point.

*List the main points—possibly a numbered or bulleted list.

*The list should start with the most important information.

*A short explaining paragraph can accompany each of these points.

*Use your own words and style.

*Make sure the interesting style helps the readers connect with the writer.

*Write a two-three sentence introduction, once you are through with these, clearly spelling out what you want to say and why you want to say.

*Write an equally small conclusion wrapping up the whole thing.

Now consider the don’ts:

*Don’t write everything that comes to your mind.

*Don’t use big words and complex sentences.

*Don’t use others’ style.

*Don’t say something new in the conclusion.

The whole idea of an online write-up is to share some important information and views quickly with the readers and therefore there is no place for ambiguity, complexity or literary flourishes in online writing.