1st February 2023, Dehradun: Renowned artist Suman Chitrakar conducted Kalighat Painting workshops for the students of Manava Bharati School, Scholars Home, and Hopetown Girls’ School today. Hosted under the series of week-long craft workshops by SPIC MACAY, Suman Chitrakar, during his workshop, taught students about the Kalighat Patachitra and Bangla Patachitra art form and how it derives definite inspiration from folk dolls and statuettes.
Suman Chitrakar, a resident of Daspur, started painting Patachitra in 2004 and has learned this unique art form from his teachers, Maina Chitrakar and Joydeb Chitrakar. He paints Bangla Pat, Santhal Pat, and Kalighat Pat and paints diversified items like Saree, kurta, t-shirts, umbrellas, kettles, etc. Suman has traveled all over West Bengal, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Thane, Mysore, Punjab, and Haryana. He has conducted workshops in Jorasanko, the National Institute of Fashion Technology, the Victoria Memorial Kolkata, and the Indian Museum Kolkata. He has had exhibitions in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London.
Addressing the students about the Kalighat Patachitra art form, Suman said, “Kalighat paintings, also known as Kalighat Patachitra, are another form of local trend in paintings prevalent throughout the late 18th and 19th century around Kolkata’s Kalighat temple. This style originated after colonial rule when the Bengal Artists lost their livelihood, and hence to survive, they started painting Kalighat Patachitra.”
He further added that the subject of these paintings has evolved with time as earlier artists used to paint on traditional regional subjects, but now, they also depict the incoherence of urban life in their paintings. During the workshop, the students got mesmerized with several songs that were sung. These songs explained the various art depicted in the painting in the form of a story.
Sharing his experience about the workshop, Suman says, “It was indeed a pleasure to host a series of workshops in different schools of Dehradun. The students showcased utmost sincerity and enthusiasm in learning the Kalighat Patachitra and Bangla Patachitra art form.” During his circuit, he also conducted the workshop in RIMC and Welham Girls’ School.
