Tales of the Patuas

Stuti Agarwal

The narrative scrolls of the Patuas still picture the mythical stories but also depict the contemporary fiction and social issues. Stuti Agarwal explores the fate of this traditional form of story-telling.

Once upon a time, in a village in West Bengal, lived a vicious demon that came out every night from his cave to feed on the villagers. Everyone stayed indoors to avoid his wrath and feared that one day, the entire village would be consumed. It was decided that something must be done. A meeting was called and a plan devised. A big mirror was kept outside the demon’s cave. When the demon came out, he saw his reflection in the mirror. Enraged at seeing another demon in his village, he hurled a large stone at the mirror which broke into many pieces creating an illusion of demons everywhere. Now, hundreds of demons surrounded the demon. In despair, he killed himself, leaving the village free of its nightmare. To celebrate and spread the word of the demon’s demise the villagers painted and sang the story as they traveled from village to village. Thus, as the legend has it; the patua art form was born. Patua art form is a storytelling tradition. A long scroll makes the background as the artist sings out the painted story to his audience. Patuas or Chitrakars are wandering bards who carry their pats or scrolls, almost eight to fifteen feet long, from village to village displaying and performing their art in return for food, clothing or payment.

The making of a scroll begins with assembling handmade paper. One piece of paper depicts one frame of the scroll and all are sewn together. Once the pieces are assembled,it is rolled to give proper shape. Individual frames are demarcated with decorative borders which helps in disguising the seams. The painting then, begins. Indigenous plants and minerals are used to make pigments for the paint, including turmeric, vermillion, and burnt rice. Sap of the bel (wood apple) fruit is used as mordant. Brushes made from goat or squirrel hair are used. Painting is a slow process that could take months depending on the size of the scroll and the story being told. Covering from one end to the other, without any white space, some scrolls require months to be done. Cloth is pasted on the back of the scroll for strength, often it is old saris. As often seen, art in India represents religious ideas and so is the case with patua art. Customarily, patua artists sing stories about Hindu Gods and Goddesses that originate in ancient texts along with stories about Muslim saints, tribal beliefs and Bengali folklore. Traced back to somewhere around the 13th century, Patua art has stood the test of time,this is attributed to the Patuas ability to adapt.