Jumman Khan, from Pingla, West Bengal, remembers his first Pattachitra painting from nearly 25 years ago: that of an owl. As a six year old, Jumman was just following orders from this father.

Now, having worked on the art for over two decades, he sees things differently. “These days,I see how I can use the art to beautify a medium:whether it is painting on a dupatta, or on a coffee mug, or making a Kalighat painting,” says the 31 year-old-artist, who says his family has been working with the art for over nine generations.

The traditional patta-chitra (literally “cloth painting”) depicted Hindu religious stories on cloth that was used as a scroll. The storyteller

would unfurl the appropriate panel as he narrated different scenes of the Ramayana or Mahabharata, for example. Nowadays, the same technique is used to create imagery on a variety of mediums: from pots to handpainted traditional pattachitra coasters, from dupattas to beer bottles, and even on umbrellas! The art, characterised by its bright colours and vivid imagery, catches the eye no matter where it is painted.

The cluster in Pingla is home to around 60 families engaged in the craft, and Jumman says that the competition is fierce. However, he believes the craft will eventually help them come out of the poverty that COVID exacerbated.

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