Centres that evoke Culture

Our flagship initiative, Art For Life (AFL), initiated in 2005 focuses on bringing to light the value of folk art forms and traditions. A model of inclusive growth, AFL revitalizes culture as livelihood. The initiative fosters the development of grassroots entrepreneurs involved in age-old folk traditions. AFL reinforces the tradition and its bearers with an aim to preserve and promote intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in a sustainable manner. Through a collective effort and a community-led action, it perseveres to prevent the loss of ICH, building local creative industries and broadening socio-economic welfare to the entire village. The multiple branches of AFL are enhancing technical capabilities of artists and craftspersons, innovation in terms of design, exchanging ideas, forming folk art centres, providing heritage education, conducting annual village fairs and documentation in various formats. Among all, the construction of Folk Art Centres with the support of the West Bengal Khadi and Village Industries Board (WBKVIB) in these destinations has been vital in transforming the image of villages. From being far-flung villages tucked in distant corners of West Bengal, they have turned into impressive cultural destinations. 

Ever since our inception as an organisation,  we have worked towards social and economic empowerment of marginalized traditional artist communities, predominantly in West Bengal. In the course of working closely with the communities, we got the opportunity to explore the lifestyle of these rural artisans and got attuned to their day-to-day lives.In our conversations they lamented of not having a collective space for practice and promotion of their ICH. They lacked a place to train themselves, showcase their craft, stockpile products or even teach the younger generation. Realising the same, over the past decade, banglanatak dot com worked closely with the Government to  support of artists and craftspersons to have folk art centres along with community museums in quite a few villages of West Bengal. Some of the folk art centres was developed by banglanatak dot com with support from European Union. Managed by individual artist clusters, these centres have turned to become a symbol of community pride and identity. 

Building folk art centres has endowed artists to enhance their livelihoods in multifarious ways. These spaces have become centres of practice for the artists, training of the younger generation, exhibition of artwork, collaboration with national and international artists and promotion with an additional facility for lodging a few visitors. The community museums are not only learning but also a sharing space. Around 15 such centres have been developed across districts of West Bengal covering artforms like Sitalpati, Wooden Mask, Dokra, Patachitra, Chau Mask, Madur, Chau dance, Baul, Wooden Doll. These are spread across North and South Bengal in villages like Pingla, Charida, Maldi, Bikna, Gorbhanga, Dariyapur, Sabang, Ghughumari, Natungram, Pakhiralay and Kushmandi among others.   

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Hub of the scroll-painters  

The first museum, set up in 2010, and upgraded in 2015, has been the one in Pingla at Naya, the art hub of Patachitra artists, better known as patuas or the singing-painters. Patachitra is an oral-visual art and the artists are painters, lyricists and singers, all rolled into one. Around 500 artists are engaged in this folk tradition of creating scrolls and narrating its stories across West and East Medinipur. Artists make natural colours, paint scrolls, develop stories and teach the art in their common space – the Folk Art Centre.  The artists’ cluster, Chitrataru, manages the space and uses it for various purposes. On its ground floor, the two-storey building has a stunning display space of some of the best Patachitras of the artist community. Unfurled on walls, the scrolls showcased are based on varied themes like mythology, history, contemporary and social issues.. The museum also has the interesting history and process detailed on its walls. The space has emerged as a living museum where visitors come and gather knowledge about the ancient folk art form, Patachitra.  Guest accommodation facilities have further added to the appeal of the centre. During the annual festival of the village, POT Maya, the resource centre serves as an important nodal point for the community as well as for guests.      

Abode of the masked dancers 

Similar and flourishing community museums have been established for the community of Chau dancers and mask makers at Purulia. Chau is an acrobatic dance which involves the use of elaborate and colourful masks worn by the dancers. The masks are made in the village of Charida. Both the dancers and the mask-makers belong to separate communities. Together there are more than 4000 dancers and mask-makers in Purulia, associated with Chau. The mask makers and the dancers both now have folk art centers for practice and promotion of their art forms. With folk art centres at Bamnia, Maldi for the Chau dancers and Charida for the mask makers, , artists – both budding and veteran – have access to a venue to engage in their art form on a regular basis. The aspiring Chau dancers receive regular training from Gurus, artists develop new palas (or productions) and hold discussions about the art. The guests visiting at the centre at Maldi or Bamnia, enjoy practise sessions of the dancers. The centres also act as a focal point during the village annual festivals. In Charida the artists create ornate masks and conduct skill transmission sessions. In addition, the museum at Charida has exquisite handmade masks amplifying the beauty of the place. The story of the community of mask-makers and the mask-making process are also exhibited in this space. Visitors interact with artists, learn about the craft and also witness the art in making.

Maldih Folk Art Centre

Charida Folk Art Centre

Home to the soulful singers 

Baul Fakiri music is about self-searching and singers preach love and the message of universal brotherhood through their melodies. While the world is parted in factions, the Bauls proclaim peace. The concentration of these soulful musicians lay in the districts of Nadia, Murshidabad, Birbhum, Bardhaman and Bankura. Since music has a lot to do with constant practise, these musicians needed a venue for the same. Along the districts, respective folk art centres have been developed at Gorbhanga in Nadia, Jalangi and Hariharpara in Murshidabad where artists practice their music, engage in trainings and conduct workshops. Situated amidst calm green settings, these placesare ideal for visitors looking for soul searching music. The centre in Gorbhanga conducts regular classes for eager learners of music. These spaces have immensely contributed to the growth of their music. The venues together welcome guests with a music trail and a journey to experience the simple life and celebrate togetherness as preached and practised by the Baul Fakirs.

Gorbhanga Folk Art Centre

Jalangi Folk Art Centre

Centre of the doll makers 

Natungram in the district of Purba Bardhaman is the hub of wooden doll makers. The folk art centre in Natungram is a spacious two-storey building along with office space, production shed, overlooking a picturesque green landscape. Decorated with wooden dolls on walls and corners, the building is a common place of practise for artists. The space is adorned with the iconic owl of Natungram besides other handcrafted wooden dolls. Artists display their artefacts at the centre. The community museum at Natungram also bears information about the craft, its history and the meticulous process.  Large number of visitors around the year stay at the spacious centre and experience craft tourism with their friends and family members.

The mask-makers’ museum 

Owing its origin in the animalistic practises of the Rajbongshi community, the art of making wooden masks is ancient. Kushmandi in the district of Dakshin Dinajpur is a hub of these mask-makers. Over time, these masks have grown into a coveted collectors’ item. About 170 artists are engaged in this unique craft. The Folk Art Centre developed in Kushmandi is a place of practise for these artists. The building has a space for conducting workshops and trainings, accommodation for guests and a museum displayed with these striking masks. Within the museum is also a detailed description of the elaborate process of mask-making – from gathering wood to painting the masks and also the history of the art form.

 

 The Dokra hub

Dokra is one of the earliest methods of non-ferrous metal casting known to human civilization. Craftspersons professionalising Dokra are concentrated in the districts of Purba Bardhaman and Bankura in Dariyapur and Bikna respectively. The primeval simplicity of Dokra has drawn attention of people beyond national boundaries. Around 300 artists practise the craft of Dokra. Both in Bikna and Dariyapur, Folk Art Centres have been developed where artists engage in the craft. Managed by artist clusters, these centres have provided spaces to learn the craft, and display handmade artefacts. The community museums curated by the artists have dokra works of their forefathers. Thespaces have helped the artists to gather together for exhibitions, displays, meetings . The centres at the two venues are managed by respective artists’ clusters. 

Dariyapur Folk Art Centre

Bikna Folk Art Centre

Residence of the cool mat weavers

Sitalpati is a form of mat woven out of a local natural fibre by the women of Ghughumari in the district of Coochbehar. There are more than 1000 weavers in Ghughumari. In Ghughumari, a spacious two-storey common facility centre has been constructed to facilitate the weavers with a space to practice, train, store and showcase their craft. At the ground floor, the centre has a beautiful museum adorned with award-winning artefacts, a detailed description of the craft and its process. At the same level is a shop of various Sitalpati mats and other diversified products. The centre also has guest accommodation facilities and a workshop space for artists.  

 

The Madur makers’ end

Madur is a generic term for floor mats, an article of daily use in Bengali households. Around 6000 weavers, mostly women, residing in the Paschim and Purba Medinipur districts of West Bengal professionalise in this craft of weaving Madur. The weavers have a folk art centre at Sarta in Sabang, Paschim Medinipur which operates as a space to engage in the craft. Along with the folk art centre, there are eight production units around the centre, where one learn the process and interact with these award winning craftsmen, It functions as a place of exchange and collaboration wherein national and international institutes and students from design schools work with the artists. In 2018, the Maldives Authentic Crafts Cooperative Society came to Sarta and worked closely with these artists at the centre. The centre also has a workshop space where weavers conduct trainings on modern weaving and production techniques. It also offers guest accommodation provisions.

 

Centre of the forest-fringe communities

Jhargram is a district abundant in dense forests and hence, working with local forest produce is a primary occupation of the native communities. In this region, there are around 4000-5000 people who engage themselves in making products out of Sal and Sabai. To cater to their needs and develop a production training and research centre, a centre of excellence has been constituted in Jhargram. The multi-utility centre is a collection and distribution point of products, provides a training space for Sal and Sabai beneficiaries, sales and museum space and accommodation facilities for trainees. The space is managed by a SHG federation and has adequate machineries for the production of goods. 

 

Abode to an amalgam of arts 

Sunderbans, famous for its rich bio-diversity inspires the cultivation of interesting folk traditions. Whether it is soul-stirring Bhatiyali songs, exciting Bonbibir Pala (theatre based on human-animal conflict) or the rhythmic Jhumur song and dance, Sunderbans houses indigenous communities each unique by its own. To advance the practise of these folk forms, a folk art centre has been developed at Pakhiralay, the location of which is easy for all of these artists to access. The two-storey building further is a rehearsal and training space of artists endowed with lodging facilities. 

 

Our work with intangible cultural heritage has revealed to us various intricacies of community lifestyle. Not only have we come to know about the art but also the artists and their unique villages. Over a decade back, they were devoid of a strong identity. Artists and craftspersons practised art individually but were low on a sense of fraternity. They strived as individual artists but were unfamiliar about working in association with the community, developing in unison or projecting themselves to the world as one. But with the beginning of the AFL initiative, the ways they perceived their professions changed. Being a holistic model of development, it helped in transforming the lives of artists multi-dimensionally. 

AFL worked simultaneously on safeguarding the traditional arts, empowering artists as well as rebranding villages as cultural hubs. In it, the development of the folk art centres played a role important than we realised at the moment. Communities take pride in managing these centres which also accommodate beautiful community museums. An added facility of these centres has been an uninterrupted internet service which has further helped artists to communicate and even act resilient whilst the pandemic. Artists have made use of the online medium to conduct workshops, sell their products and establish a successful digital communication with a newfound virtual audience. Another aspect that has found strength through the construction of Folk Art Centres has been tourism at these art and craft villages. Knowing what these villages can provide as a whole has significantly increased the footfall of tourists. The numbers of both, daytime tourists as well as ones who stay over nights have gone up substantially. Visitors have expressed great satisfaction over the wholesome development of these villages and have accounted for their compliments by revisiting the same destination. The centres have played a major role in fostering sustainable development and conserving the rich folk cultural heritage of Bengal. West Bengal is bestowed with a multitude of intangible cultural heritage expressions and these folk art centres endowed with community museums are an excellent means to safeguard and transmit it across generations. 

 Authors : Siddhanjan Ray Chaudhuri & Aahiree Banerjee