Singing the painted stories from Bengal

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Amidst the bustle of the World Travel Market a Patachitra artist unfurls an intricate and brightly painted scroll, showing it frame by frame to the gathering audience; narrating the story it tells of the 2004 Tsunami in a soft sing song voice.
Patachitra is an ancient folk art from Bengal; a form of storytelling combining art and song. The style of painting is said to be similar to the cave paintings of Mohenjodaro, Ajanta and Harappa, the painters or Patuas as they are known using mainly natural colours derived from plants and clays. Stories range from traditional mythological tales related through songs that have been handed down through generations to modern themes inspired by recent events and issues of concern like the need to conserve forests for which new songs, Pater Gaan as they’re called, are created.
Since 2004 banglanatak dot com have been working with a number of Patuas to rejuvenate this art form under their flagship initiative Making Art a Livelihood. To find out more about their work visit www.banglanatak.com

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