“Elephants belonged in their stables, horses in theirs” – that is how royal palaces are often described in Bengali folktales, right? Or even in mythological stories, the king of the gods, Indra, rides a mighty elephant named Airavata. Again, just before the festival season, the divine
In Satyajit Ray's Nayak, Arindam, played by Uttam Kumar, said, “Shankar-da used to say that unless there is a dramatic backdrop, an ornate frame, and those wide, glazed eyes, true devotion doesn’t quite arise.” And indeed, when we think of Durga, we remember the grand
Somenath Hore Ramkinkar was one of those rare geniuses whose excellent works have made him immortal. The youthfulness and senility of the twentieth century can be said to define him. His teacher Nandalal Bose was surprised at the dexterity of Ramkinkar and had once said, “Seeing
What started as a weaving phenomenon centuries ago in a small village called Baluchar in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, has now turned into an experimental revolution with new techniques and new line of products introduced from Bengal’s heirlooms. If we were so long
Athing of beauty is a joy forever. Women of Bengal always harboured that aesthetic sense that urged them to take up anything and turn it into a work of art, be it a daily comb that they used or even the nutcracker turning simple things
There was a time when, in Bengal, waterways were used far more than roads. Trade flourished along these routes — from food items to daily necessities and even clothing were imported and exported by boat. The rivers of Bengal once bustled with a variety of
Since ancient times, our bonding with nature has been very close. We worship Gods with offerings of ‘shadopachara’ (16 items) and that includes ‘Naivedya’ (edible offerings) of cereals, vegetables and fruits on leaves or utensils made of leaves. After offering the naivedya to the deity,
Lakshmi baskets were once preserved in almost all households in Medinipur, Bankura, Hooghly and Purulia districts. The baskets were usually opened for worshipping Goddess Lakshmi and contained an idol of Lakshmi, mounted on a brass elephant along with separate idols of Narayan, Kartik and Ganesh
Apart from a variety of decorations on clay walls, there was a long prevailing practice in rural areas of Bengal of displaying paintings on walls. This form of folk art was introduced and have been taken primarily by rural population. Even today, folk paintings can
Srijani Shilpagram, Santiniketan, Bolpur Tucked cosily in Bolpur, opposite Prakriti Bhavan, lies Srijani Shilpagram, the hub of Bengal’s art and culture. Despite not being a village in and of itself, it may be referred to as the gramme or griho of Bengal's art and culture. The location is