Sohrai paintings & Santiniketani alpana to make a comeback at puja pandals
Times of India | 23 September 2024
Kolkata: Sohrai paintings and Santiniketani alpana, two vintage art forms on the verge of extinction, are making a comeback at Durga Puja pandals at Fern Pally in Ballygunge and Ahiritola Jubak Brindra in north Kolkata. Sohrai painting, a traditional indigenous art form that has been practised by tribal women of different indigenous communities in the villages of Hazaribagh region, dates back to the Meso-chalcolithic period (9000-5000 BC) while Rabindranath Tagore introduced the alpana, as a new folk art form different from the conventional ones in Santiniketan more than 120 years back and redefined by painter Nandalal Bose.
A group of seven, including five women tribal artists from Jharkhand, reached Kolkata on Friday to make Sohrai paintings in the puja pandal of Fern Road for their diamond jubilee year.Malo Devi from Jorakath, Putli Ganju from Saheda village and Urmila, Sushila and Devanti Devi of Oriya village of Hazaribagh district paint on big canvases day and night to decorate the exterior of the puja pandal. “My father Justin Imam who worked hard for the last 24 years to preserve the extinct art form passed away early this year and I am here to carrying forward my dad’s works to make it popular worldwide,” said Adam Son (24) who has been guiding the tribal artists now in Kolkata with his mother Alka Imam.
“The idea came from our women club members to support and popularise the extinct art form using our puja platform,” said Soumitra Gupta, puja secretary. “We are happy to get the opportunity to showcase our work in front of the vast audiences during Durga Puja which also helps to earn some money before our Sohrai festival that falls on Diwali,” said Malo Devi.
Sudhi Ranjan Mukherjee, a retired art teacher of Visva Bharati, working for the last four decades to make the Santiniketani alpana popular among the masses, has joined hand with his 15 students to decorate the puja pandal of Ahiritola. The theme titled “Akarer Mahayatra” was first ideated by theme artist Debojyoti Jana on the 54th year of the puja who approached Mukherjee to execute his unique artworks on alpana based in Santiniketan.
“Santiniketani style alpana will be used to adorn the entrances, floors, and walls of the pandal as well as alpana motifs on the ‘chalchitra’, idols clothing and decorations,” said Mukherjee. Colossal iron structures in the shape of alpana are being used in innovative ways to decorate the exterior and shape up the interiors of the pandal.
“We plan to involve the local community and even visitors during puja days where they can contribute by painting alpana to foster a sense of unity and collaboration,” said Subham Sen, an executive committee member of the club. The projected budget is around Rs 40 lakh.