When one loves one’s Art no service seems too hard.

–O. Henry

The recently concluded three-day national workshop on Indigenous Art and Design Insight for promoting art and crafts for Barak Valley was an important and remarkable collaboration between the Centre of Indian Knowledge System (CIKS), Assam University, Silchar (AUS), and the Department of Visual Arts, AUS. It was held from 9-11 November 2022. The out-of-the-box workshop was a huge hit. One of the most attractive aspects of the workshop was its focus on the promotion of shora paintings, which is indeed a dying art but through this workshop, the focus was on reviving this dying art.

The workshop was conducted at the Department of Visual Arts (daily from 10:30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.). The inauguration ceremony was followed by sessions on shora painting and its traditional ritual visual relevancy, design development, sustainability and community-based cottage industry, conceptualisation and execution process, concept finalisation, innovation, inspiration and design insights, and final execution. The members of the organising committee included Prof. Rajive Mohan Pant, Vice-Chancellor, Assam University and chief patron of the organising committee, Prof. Nataraju Adarasupally, director, CIKS, and Dean, S.R. School of Philosophical Studies, AUS, Prof. Nirmal Kanti Roy, Head, Department of Visual Arts, AUS, Assistant Prof. Gautam Dutta, Department of Visual Arts, AUS, coordinator of the workshop, Dr. Debasish Chakraborty, assistant professor, Department of Visual Arts, AUS, and Dr. Ganesh Nandi, assistant professor, Department of Visual Arts, AUS, respectively co-coordinator and convener of the workshop.

Prof. Rajive Mohan Pant, ecstatic and enthusiastic, urged all (AUS authorities) to use Shoras as gifts, mementos, or citation items. “It is, indeed, a significant step. The primary goal is to promote local art and culture. I am proud of the students and everyone else who participated in the workshop. Shora’s artworks should be promoted and given a larger platform. This university has the potential to play a significant role in promoting Shora paintings. We see Kashmiri and Rajasthani arts whenever we go to other exhibitions in Delhi and elsewhere. Nonetheless, we find nothing from Barak Valley. This workshop, I believe, will aid in the spread of knowledge about Shora paintings. It would be fantastic to hold such a workshop on Barak Valley’s art and culture in other major cities. Barak Valley is home to many talented artists and artisans. All they require is a suitable platform. Such products, in my opinion, require marketing. Art and art forms will continue to be suppressed until they become profitable. Marketing is essential. Inform everyone about it. We decided to give Shora paintings to our varsity guests because charity begins at home,” he said.

Prof. Nataraju said, “It is time to revisit the Art form that was part of the life world of the people of this region. Shora paintings of gods and goddesses were part of every household in their puja places. Deities were mostly depicted on terracotta and were placed in the places of worship. This art form exists in parts of Bangladesh and Bengal as well. The initiative by the Visual Arts department to revive this Art form, redesign, bring in value addition by experimenting with different materials, and market it needs to be lauded.”

“Out of the several aspects of art forms, Ānanda, or bliss as the end, prayojana is accepted by Indian art critics. Rasa remained undefined, and the highest form, Brahman, is considered the very essence of ‘Ananda Rasa’. The human self finds the fullest expression of freedom and Ananda in different art forms. Apart from imagination and reason, there is the availability of intuition as a source of knowledge. This transcendental aspect of human life brings into existence many art forms that were seemingly unseen before. Artists, through their creations, are strengthening God’s creation. They are paying tribute to God by creating something new every time they start; they put their hands to use. Brahman is defined by the Vedas as Sat-Cit-Ananda, hence, let us celebrate life through the works of art. I wish Team Visual Arts success in their future endeavours. Native thinking and Indigenous art forms are to be revived for a society to creatively express itself. Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems, Assam University, aims to create an ecosystem which creates an ambience for native thinking to express itself without being disturbed by cross-cultural currents,” Prof. Nataraju added.

Prof. Nirmal Kanti Roy said, “Art and art forms should be preserved at any cost. In a bid to preserve shora paintings, this workshop was conducted with enthusiasm. We wanted students to explore the possibilities of shora printing techniques to incorporate into other design forms and give a contemporary look to this Indigenous art form and thus revive this traditional art practice. I am not sure how shoras and shora paintings will fare in the future. There are no purchasers. In fact, the next and new generation of Shora painters is dismissive of it. Shop assistants work at various jewellery stores at Silchar’s N.N. Dutta Road. These shopkeepers are from the families of Shora painters and artists. Because there are fewer buyers, they have been forced to change careers. We want to improve both the functional and marketability of Shoras.”

The Department of Visual Arts, AUS, fosters and prepares students professionally for the contemporary visual art and design world. The three-day national workshop has definitely created the space for Indigenous art practice and the artisans of this valley, in particular, to explore the traditional shora painting to a new dimension of contemporary design approaches, Prof. Nirmal Kanti Roy added.

Prof. Gautam Dutta said, “As per researchers, Shora painting originated in Sureswar village of Bangladesh, which has been adopted and mostly practised by the artisans of the pal community of Panibhora area Sonai of Cachar district. It can be considered one of the indigenous arts of Barak Valley. It is a traditional art form where artisans draw deity images on terracotta plates with line drawings and flat colours along with a decorative border. Shora painting still exists in some parts of West Bengal. This indigenous art practice is gradually fading due to the change in the socio-economic objectives of urban as well as rural life. It is necessary to make continuous efforts to enhance this unique representation and craft practice instead of pushing it into the threat zone. The walls of the VIP lounge at Kumbhirgram Airport in Silchar are adorned with shoras. We thank the Airport Authority of India.”

As per the surveys, there has been a steep decline in the sale of Shoras. The number has drastically reduced from around 800 to around 200. This is really very sad and alarming. We will have to take steps to promote this dying art. The workshop was conceptualised with the objective of germinating ideas for adding value to their craftwork as well as adapting different techniques and forms, opening new avenues for the traditional craft industry and indigenous art practice in the global market.

This workshop was specifically planned to bring together the budding talent of visual arts, skilled artisans, young designers, and design thinkers to provide a platform for exchanging ideas, learning traditional styles and applying different techniques. By attending such workshops, participants not only learnt the traditional art form but also explored the idea of amalgamating the contemporary design pattern, and medium. If this situation continues/persists, the next generation will never work on this art form. It should be promoted as a means of livelihood. Artisans from the Cachar district and Panibhora artisans also took part in the workshop.

“All we wanted was to add designs, market values, and functionalities to this already existing art form, i.e., Shora paintings. We want people to know about Shora paintings. Around 70 participants took part in the workshop. Master craftsmen, artisans, external experts, faculty members of the Department of Visual Arts, Khulna University, Bangladesh, Santiniketan, Visva Bharati University, Kolkata, alumni, PhD scholars, and PG and UG students, formed part of the three-day workshop,” Prof. Gautam Dutta added.

“I am hopeful that the present generation of shora artists, which comprise Gandhi Pal and Dinesh Pal, will be able to pass on the legacy to the next generation. We will make every effort to commercialise shora paintings. The commercialisation of ‘dying art’ is urgently needed,” said an upbeat Prof. Gautam Dutta.