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  Chhau Dance of Purulia: A Journey from Passion to Profession   Introduction Chhau dance, an exquisite and vibrant folk dance form, has been an integral part of India's cultural heritage, particularly in the Purulia district of West Bengal, Seraikela in Jharkhand and Mayurbhanj in Odisha. This unique dance form, characterized by its vigorous movements, colourful masks, and elaborate costumes, has captivated audiences for generations and is enlisted in UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. The Chhau dance finds its roots in the tribal regions of Eastern India, primarily in the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha. This martial dance form is a unique blend of folk traditions, mythology, and martial arts, often depicting stories from Indian epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana. The dance is characterized by its high-energy acrobatic moves, vigorous drumming, and the use of vibrant masks that represent various mythologi...

Nestled in the heart of Ostrava City, Czech Republic, the Art and Life Festival v ulicích is an international multi-genre extravaganza that has been captivating audiences for over eleven years. Drawing more than 40,000 visitors each year, this festival is a melting pot of global artistry, featuring a rich and diverse program. From the infectious beats of jamming musicians and the captivating allure of street theatre to the rhythmic energy of drum parades and the wonder of science shows, there's something for everyone. A Cross-Cultural Partnership Begins The collaboration between banglanatak dot com and Colours of Ostrava began in 2018, when Petra Hradilová, Managing Director of Festival v ulicích, Ostrava, and Zlata Holušová, Managing Director of Colours of Ostrava, attended the “Surjahan” World Peace Music Festival in Kolkata, organized by banglanatak dot com. In 2019, Raibenshe dancers, including two women performers, were invited to showcase their vibrant performance at the ...

  Preserving the Bauls of Bengal for the 21st century Baul music is the soul of Bengal and is essentially the music of self searching. Its about 500 years old. Chaitanyadev's Bhakti Cult movement, which is seen as the first social reform movement in Bengal, may be the basis of evolution of Baul music. Bauls believe Chaitanya's eldest son was the first Baul. Chaitanya started 'Keertan', reached out to the oppressed ones and mobilized people against the social divide (due to gender, religion, class, caste) and social evils like Sati (where widow was forced to be burnt alive along with dead husband). Then comes, Lalan Fakir, who used to live at Kushtia in Bangladesh and he may be called as the father of Baul music. Living the life of an esoteric, denouncing the material world, they urge people to rise above the narrow divides created by caste, creed and religion to find love, peace and harmony. Do not look for God anywhere, look for Him in the human body. Only then will ...

Village Festival as a Tool for Development   When Celebration Becomes a Way of Life A festival is not merely an event marked on a calendar—it is a pulse, a rhythm that binds people to each other and to the soil beneath their feet. It is the collective breath of a community, rising in song, colour, ritual and memory. In a festival, time pauses, and life is celebrated in its most generous form—through togetherness, through sharing, through the reaffirmation of identity. Across cultures and geographies, festivals take many forms. Some are deeply religious, rooted in faith and devotion; others are ritualistic, shaped by age-old customs and practices. Many are cultural celebrations, honouring art, music, craft and collective memory, while others are festivals of nature—marking the first rain, the onset of spring, the ripening of harvest, or the quiet transitions of seasons. In Bengal, this philosophy found its most poetic articulation in the vision of Rabindranath Tagore, who reimagined...

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 Kh...