5 Months, 20 Indigenous Village Folk Carnivals

India is known as the culturally rich land with harmony and accord merged in a diversified terrain. From the 26 different tribes of Arunachal Pradesh to the 22 different local languages, all fuses together to signify one nation of India. The rural beauty of Bengal is one such exemplification. Starting from 26^th October 2018 to 21^st March 2019, the state of West Bengal is going to witness the wave of rural cultural carnivals running through the respective districts. The ethnic artistry of all sorts of folk-art will be showcased by their virtuosos.  

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TourEast,  a Kolkata based initiative of banglanatak dot com encourages to promote community led cultural tourism and “foster sustainable development using culture-based approaches”. TourEast organises the transportation and provides comfy accommodations wherein one can feel involved with the folkloric environment. They organises a day long workshops too, to get you accustomed with the tradition. This festivals are also supported by Biswa Bangla Rural Craft Hubs of West Bengal, Department of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises & Textiles Government of West Bengal and UNESCO.

The 5 month long festivities as planned by TourEast

Details on the Folk-Arts

Mukha Shilpo or Wooden Masks:  An ecstatic artform of the Ranbangshi community of Dakshin Dinajpur district of West Bengal. Kushmandi witnesses the moulding of the masks. Themes of the masks are usually spiritual, historic and religious dedicated to the ageless good versus evil theology. The masks make part of the costume of the traditional Gomira dance. The artists will host the 5th edition of their annual festival Mukha Mela in Kushmandi on October 26 - 28, 2018.

Dhokra: Dhokra weaving is another indigenous craftwork, especially of the women of Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur districts entwining jute mats. Jute, the ‘Golden Fibre’, is home grown and is the raw material used for weaving.

Dokra: Bikna village is famous for practicing and displaying the primitive Dokra art. Also Dariyapur village of Bardhaman showcases the same. The artists' collective will organise Bankura Mela on November 2 - 4, 2018 to celebrate their craft-making tradition.

Dokra is the art of melting figurines through the now near extinct “lost wax casting” technique. Dokra is characterised by primitive simplicity, rustic beauty, imaginative designs and patterns making it a coveted collector’s item. Visitors can plan a day trip to Bikna for a sneak peek into the lives of the artists and experiencing the craft making process and enjoy the master pieces at the Folk Art Centre.  [Courtesy: TourEast]

Panchmura Terracota: Terracotta of Bankura is world famous given to the Bishnupur temples. It is sort of clay sculpturing into exquisite figurines moulded and seared in sun.

Baked in sun and burnt in mud kilns with dry eucalyptus leaves, the earthly ensembles in dull ochre or red are beauteous caricatures. The simple yet dynamic terracotta artistry of Panchmura has its origin in religious ritual. The structure of the 'Bankura Horse' has been so fashioned to symbolize a mark of devotion and valour. Panchmura offers a wide range of terracotta products from animal to human figurines as well as utility, home décor and jewellery. [Courtesy: TourEast]

Putul Naach or Puppetry: Puppeteers doing string puppetry is the sole attraction of the Muragachha village of Nadia district. The performances are known as ‘pala’. The puppets represents human dancing to the string movements by the puppeteers. Being light it is done smoothly within a smaller cubic stage. These puppeteers will celebrate the 2nd edition of their village festival 'Putul Naach Mela' on December 14 - 16, 2018.  

Patachitra: Naya village in Pingla, of West Midnapore district is home to the Patachitra painters or 'Patuas'. Patuas paint stories in a series of frames on long scrolls of cloth using natural colours. Nowadays they also make a range of diverse products like apparels, stationery items, home décor using Patachitra motifs. One can plan a day visit to Naya, Pingla to take a village tour, see the beautifully painted walls and the colour trail, and participate in workshops to learn to make natural colours. The 9th edition of POT Maya will be celebrated on November 16 - 18, 2018.

Shitalpati: Literally meaning the cool mats, the weavers are from the Ghughumari of the Cooch Beher district. The mat making involves slicing of the natural cane and intertwining them to form mats.

A simple natural colour variation of brown and white along with the weaver's creative patterns bring about the most intricately simple yet unique designs.

Chhau Mask: These are colourful and elaborate masks portraying animals or mythological characters; made with paper pulp and clay with either feathered or beaded decorations on it. A 3 day village Chhau Mask Festival will be held at Charida from December 14-16, 2018 along with folk festival promoting community led heritage tourism.

Embellished with Zari, glitters and foils, the eyes of the masks are wide open. Knitted eyebrows and thick facial hair made with jute fibers, give some masks a demonic character. [Courtest: TourEast]

Wooden Doll: the Sutradhars of Natungram, Katwa carves out these wooden dolls from a single piece of wood representing mythological characters. Most noteworthy mention would the owl of Goddess Lakshmi bringing wealth and prosperity. The artists collective will celebrate the 4th edition of their annual festival Wooden Doll Festival on January 18 - 20, 2018.

Madur Shilpo: Madur or the floor mats are an integral part of rural Bengal lifestyle, weaved from Madurkathi, a rhizome-based plant. It is a high quality Masland mats, of Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur districts. Their vast range of products include home décor, furnishing, and lifestyle products like bags, purses, jackets. Sabang in Paschim Medinipur is renowned for it. The artists will celebrate the 2nd edition of their annual festival Madur Utsav on December 7 - 9, 2018.

Kantha Shilpo: Kantha stitch is one of the best involvement of the rural women. These can be in form of sarees or simple wall hanging depicting flowers or animals, or any other beautiful themes.

Sholapith: One of the best example of such art is the Daker Saaj of the Durga Puja of Bengal. The artisrts are known as Malakars offers immensely intricate delicacies on their artefact. Shola, by nature, is light in weight, organic and fragile and look much like items carved out of ivory. The topor and mukut used in traditional Bengali weddings, and faces of gods and goddesses made from the reed are some of the best examples of Shola craft works’ usage in the society.

Shola pith (Indian cork) is a delicate, ivory-coloured reed that grows on moist and marshy land in Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

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Bamboo Basketry: This is another indigenous craft form making tray like baskets for everyday use. It can either be simple or painted to meets the product types. Various products are formed besides just baskets like jewellery boxes, lamp shades etc. and is found throughout Bengal.

Clay Doll: Ghurni in Nadia, is home to the clay doll makers.

The perfect detailing of forms, feature and stance, the meticulous realism of the cloths to the last fold and tuck and the marvelous expressions make each of the clay dolls a collector's item. It is a perfect destination for visitors to witness doll making by the artists and collect few exquisite souvenir. [Courtesy: TourEast]

Details on Folk Music Art

Bhawaiya: It is a music genre originated in Cooch Beher district of West Bengal and with Alipurduar included, hummed mainly in the Rajbangshi dialect. The songs reflect the everyday hues of the rural life.  The annual festival (2nd edition) of Bhawaiya Utsav in Shalkumar on March 1 - 3, 2019. [Also read: 5 Places to Visit When You are inCooch Beher].

Bhawaiya songs were typically sung by farmers while ploughing the land with buffaloes. The tradition is believed to have originated in the district of Cooch Behar and Rangpur in the erstwhile undivided Bengal. It is the mainstream folk-song of Dholla, Dhudhkumar, Tista, Torsha Brahmaputra river basin area. (Courtesy: TourEast)

Khon: Khon is another folk form of Rajbangshi dialect, prevalent sardonic folk drama, of rather a mockery panache, revolving around an affair between a village boy and girl. The songs are convoyed by dancing and is considered to have traditional importance.

Domni:  Another satirical folk theatre form of Malda region in West Bengal. The satires of this art however reflects the grievances and hopes as well, both of which are actually the two sides of same coin called life.

The drama portrays the joys and sorrows of the poor and common people. The lead characters include husbands, wives, mothers, greedy moneylenders, peasants and political leaders, among others. Domni is said to have evolved from a region called Diyara in northwestern Malda and was practised by migrants from Jharkhand. [Courtesy: Rural Craftsand Culture Bengal]

Baul Fakiri and Folk Holi: Holi is the festival of colours all over India and the folk holi adds a little dancing to the beatings of drums (Dhamsa Madol) or sing with the Bauls and hum to the mellowing Lalon geeti Fakirs of the rural beauty. Famous places to witness such art forms in serene environment are Gorbhanga of Nadia and Tepantar at Satkahania village and Bolpur of Bardhaman. The 9th edition of Baul Fakiri Mela will be celebrated for the first time at Tepantar theatre village on November 23 - 25, 2018 and Basanta Utsav will be held at Tepantar and Nimidh from March 19-21, 2019. [Also Read: This is How you Should Celebrate Holi ]

Raibenshe: In this dance form martial arts meet the acrobatics, and balance is the very essence of this dance form. The balancing is done through long bamboo or Raibansh, and hence the name. Believed to have originated from the Bhil warriors of Rajasthan, who came to Murshidabad as part of an invading Mughal army, it was initially performed with spears. The 2nd edition Raibenshe celebration of the annual Raibenshe Utsav will be held in Burwan, Murshidabad on December 7 - 9, 2018.

Chhau Jhumur/ Dance: Another amalgamation of martial arts and acrobatics in the dance form, Chhau Jhumur is an UNESCO recognised heritage artform. The jhumur show entails the chhau masks and are based on mythological legends. Bamnia hosts a weeklong Chau-Jhumur festival in the third week of December. The artists will celebrate the 8th edition of Chau Jhumur Utsav on December 22 - 28, 2018. 

Darjeeling folk dance:  Darjeeling in itself presents a diversified terrain as well as culture. The Himalayan region of Bengal is replenished with 15 ethnic groups having inimitable art form and musical abundance in addition to the traditional wearing. The artists of hill communities will celebrate the 2nd edition of their annual festival Darjeeling Kalimpong Folk Festival at Mela Ground in Kalimpong on October 26 - 28, 2018

The Snow Lion dance of Tibetan folk artists, Chyabrung dance of Limbu community, Damphoo dance of Tamang community, Naumati Baja of Damai community, Lakhe dance of Newar community, Sakewa dance of Rai community, traditional songs and dances of Mangar, Lepcha, Bhutia and Dhimal community are the distinctive mentions. (Courtesy: TourEast).

Bhatiyali: Recognised by UNESCO as a world heritage site, the archipelago of Sunderban is also known for its Bhatiyali music and iconic “Bonbibir Pala”, a lore revolving around worshipping the guardian deity of the forest, to survive the hardships in the jungle. The artist communities of the region celebrate their 2nd edition of Sunderban Festival on Dec 28 - 30, 2018.

Bhatiyali, a song form known for its long-drawn notes, is traditionally sung by boatmen while sailing downstream. The name is said to originate from the word ‘bhati’, but others believe the origin is ‘Bhata’, meaning ‘ebbing tide’. Another name is ‘Bhati Desher Gaan’, and it is related to the mystic rivers of Bengal. The music is inspired by the confluence of nature and expresses the pure and deep love of a beloved through its simple language. The boatmen also hum songs of leisure and peace, performed while comfortably rowing downstream. The songs also depict demotic love, love of Radha-Krishna and spirituality. [Courtesy: Rural Crafts and Culture Bengal]

Gomira Dance: The gomira masks reflect the supremacy of the Adyashakti through Kali or Chamunda face alike and the dancers’ prowess reflects in the vigour with which they move invoking the power of the deity.

Santali Dance: Dancing to the rhythm of Santal songs during the Pata Porob or Chaitra Sankranti, that is mid-April, is a composure of spontaneous sentiments and expressions.

Interested people please contact Moumita Kundu: 8420106396 or mail at toureast@banglanatak.com

[The pictures with logo of TourEast are provided here with prior permission from the same.]