East is East, and West is West
and when the Twain meet

Dr. Seema Bhalla

“East is East, and West is West, and never the Twain shall meet”, the opening lines from “The Ballad of East and West”, written by Rudyard Kipling, published in 1889, might be ringing as metaphorical truth but are far removed from reality as far as the talented acumen of art and crafts of the artists of Bengal is concerned.

When Bengal was declared as the British Presidency in 1756, its strategic location, art and culture made Bengal the economic, cultural and educational center for the British. This resulted in an amalgamation of two cultures, that of Bengal and Britain, reaching its peak in the late 19th and early 20th century. The aristocratic strata of Bengal were favoured by the British for their social interaction resulting in the visits of the British officials to the posh and wealthy residences of the Zamindars. Both, the Bengali aristocracy and many of the British were impressed with each other and tried to emulate each other in their way of thinking and living. This was particularly true for the aristocracy of Bengal which was highly influenced by the British and this started reflecting in their way of living, dressing, language, mannerism and in art.