Drawings and Paintings of Kalighat by Mukul Dey

Strolling through the streets of South Calcutta a few years ago I chanced to get into the precincts of the old temple of Mother Kali. The lanes and bye-lanes leading to the temple courtyard were full of small shops dealing with everything interesting to the pilgrims, specially women-folk and children. There were sweetmeat shops in plenty, toys, utensils, bangles and what was most important to my eyes, pictures in colours as well as in lines, hung up in almost all the shops.
These drawings had a pecularity of their own which attracted the attention and interest of any man who had any taste for art and drawings. The drawings were bold and attractive and at the same time their technique was so different and simple, that they looked something absolutely distinctive from their class found anywhere else.
These pictures have now entirely vanished. The artist craftsmen are nearly all dead, and their children have taken up other business. In place of these hand-drawn and hand-painted pictures selling at two or four pice each, garish and evil-smelling lithographs and oleographs - quite appalling in their hideousness - have come. The old art is gone for ever - the pictures are now finding their last asylum in museums and art collections as things of beauty which we cannot let die.
It is difficult to state definitely how this original and bold school of art originated and developed in Kalighat; who were the leaders and who followed them. As in the case of other departments of our national life, our ancestors were indifferent in putting down any chronological or historical data of their activities. In this region of art also they were either indifferent or careless. As a result, we cannot trace any history of the development of this wonderful culture of our own. It can be surmised, however, that as pilgrims would rush to this shrine at Kalighat from all parts of India, as peoples of different tastes and likings would stay at this small place for a certain period of time, their wants would naturally be met and supplied by local people.
Thus a sort of market grew up at Kalighat for all things necessary for different types of people, of different provinces of our country; moreover these pilgrims would expect to take back something from this shrine which would have associated with it a peculiar halo and interest so that it may be kept up as a memento of the great event of their life. Ordinary things for day-to-day use can be had everywhere and however bright or cheap they might be, they would not add any special meaning. These drawings from the Kalighat patuas, however, would naturally possess a peculiar interest and if they would be hung up in any place amongst ten other pictures, they would outshine the others not only for their different characterization but for their wonderful colour-effects and contours as well. As pilgrims know no caste or difference in wealth, naturally these pictures would be taken, liked and hung by peoples of all classes and communities from the big Rajas and zemindars down to the most ordinary villagers or even little children.
These pictures would decorate the thakurghars or family chapels of the rich and the middle-class people, they would brighten up — some of them — the drawing-rooms of people of all sorts; they would add a touch of colour and joy in the humble hut of the tiller of the soil; and the village grocer or the "panwalla" round the corner of a city street would find no better and no cheaper decoration than these pictures. Thus the pictures had a wonderful mass appeal and mass appreciation.
The patuas would naturally sell a good lot of these pictures every year and I remember to have seen many in my younger days at least 30 or 40 shops in those bye-lanes to deal exclusively in these pictures and I remember the patuas drawing the pictures in their "shop-studios". These "shop-studios" in those days were more or less "news bureaus" of the country, where not only the pictures of mythological subjects were drawn, but caricatures and satirical sketches would be drawn dealing with the topics of the day, the happenings in the law courts as well as in the bazaars. From a study of the drawings it will be found that these patuas were expert in handling the brush and colour and they were keen observers of life, with a grim sense of humour. For example, wealthy zeminders spending their money on wine and women, foppish babus spending their day and night at nasty places, a Mohunt suffering imprisonment for abducting girls, or a priest or Vaishnav "Guru" (who is invariably depicted as a well-fed and well-groomed, pot-bellied and top-knotted - the veritable picture of a pious rouge) living with unchaste women - these would not escape the searching eyes of these artists and they would draw the caricatures in such a way as would repel ordinary people from such activities. Even popular sayings and proverbs get good illustrations from them.
But these patuas are not found in their old places now. When the other day I chanced to go over to the shrine again I searched in vain for all the old spots where those patuas in their "shop-studios" would draw paintings and sell them before standing crowds of buyers. The buyers are gone and so are the artists. Big buildings, three storeys high, have taken the places of old huts of which no trace can be found now. Not a shred of the old huts or the patuas are to be found now. The foreign imitators of these patuas have killed this trade out of its soil. Taking advantage of the popularity of those pictures the sly German traders sent thousands of lithographed copies printed on glazed papers with garish bright colours and flooded the whole country with these cheap imitations of Kalighat pictures. Following these German presses, a litho press of Western India then took the field and as a "Swadeshi" concern did the same thing and hastened the death of this wonderful school of indigenous Art in Bengal. The cheap price, the glazed paper and some kind of imitation of Kalighat pictures took away the crowd from those original artists who created them; the smelly characters of these gaudy paints did not deter them.
But can this very original and vigorous school of painting, which formed a sort of window for the souls of Bengal, not be revived now? This is a question which every artist and every Bengali who loves his province and its culture should ask. The real merit of the art and the unquestioned superiority of its quality created a great demand for these pictures throughout the country. I believe the demand still exists and it is being met in a niggardly way by those outrageous imitations of foreign make. It was more a spirit of making money by any means, even by degrading the art instincts of a people, that was more responsible than any actual decay of good taste among our people. The oleograph pictures were thrust upon the masses - the dallals and petty shopkeepers looked to the immediate commission and neglected the artist craftsmen. If we can now revive the old school of art, and produce similar pictures now, I believe they will have a very great demand throughout the country.
As a matter of fact, the Kalighat School of Bengal Art has been a glory of Bengal's culture and it is our national duty to revive the culture and glory. If false imitations can take advantage of the popularity there is no reason why we should not revive the original movement and drive out the imitators now, when the merit of the original artists is being universally acknowledged and appreciated. Even now a few stray patuas of the old school can be found and if we encourage them and patronise them they can maintain their old calling, and revive the Art in the near future. If we can also arrange to train our young men in these lines they can easily find a way of living by drawing with the help of pen and brush simple drawings of popular interest and get good money out of them as in the days of old. This is an aspect of the question that which our artists should not neglect - they should not turn up their noses at the idea of being a mere patuas.
As a matter of fact Bengal's traditional instinct lies with the methods of drawing inculcated in the Kalighat School of Art and I think these methods can be taught to our students much more easily than the complex western processes. We hope our countrymen, who are eager to regenerate the people and also those who are interested in the development of art and culture of the country, should pay attention to this very important item of Bengal's culture which is really the pride of our country, and help in revivifying its old glory and popularity.

Kumar(Potter)

Kumar (potter) also known in Bangla as kumbhakar, is a traditional occupational group engaged in clay modelling and making earthenwares and various household items and toys from clay. Kumar is a caste name, which indicates that POTTERY as a profession was almost exclusively in the hands of Hindus in the past. The innumerable domestic wares prepared by kumars include Bhanr(Earthen cup), kalshi (household water vessel), handi (cooking pot), jala (big water jar), shara/dhakna (pot covers), shanki (dish), sharai (jug), plates, cups, badna/garu/lota/ghoti (water pot) and dhupdani (vessel for scented sulphur) and many more. Clay made dolls and toys and clay fruits like palm, banana, jackfruit or mango, are popular sale items in traditional fairs and festivals.
All kumars, whether of ancient or modern times, employ a simple technology in making the earthenware. The clay dug from the earth's surface is prepared by beating and kneading with the hands, feet or simple mallets of stone or wood. The steps usually followed include: (1) clay collection and preservation, (2) preparing the clay for production, (3) modelling the shape and size of the wares, (4) drying the ware in the sun and finally, (5) firing and colouring it. In ancient pottery, the clay well tempered with water was invariably used without any additional material. Vessels were shaped by scooping out or cutting a solid lump or ball from this pure clay, by building up piece by piece, or by squeezing cakes of clay on to some natural object or a mould or form. The potter's wheel (chaak) is a comparatively later invention. Kumars now use wheel with which they fashion various kinds of pottery, which then dried in the sun and later are heated in the kiln (panja). The wheel in its simplest form is a heavy disk pivoted in a central point to be set going by the hand of the workman squatting on the ground. After the processing in rotation is complete, the piece is removed from the wheel and set aside to dry. The neck and shoulders of all globular vessels are made with the wheel, but the body is fashioned by hand, often by women. A round ball of hardened clay (boila) is held inside, while with a wooden mallet (pitna) the material is beaten from the outside into requisite shape and thinness.
Kumars use two kinds of earth: baali (sandy soil) and kalamaati (blackish sticky soil). The former is mixed with the latter in a proportion of 1:2 for production of strong pottery. The red laterite earth from Bhowal is used for making the common red earthenware vessels. The cheap red and black earthenware are both prepared with the same clay, the latter being blackened by covering up the kiln at a certain stage and by adding oil-cake to the fire. Many potters cannot glaze or fix the colours on the wares, but are content to paint the vessel after it has been baked. The colours are always made from different chemicals and metals such as copper, manganese, lead, arsenic etc. Red paint are prepared with red leads, yellow with arsenic, green by copper, blue from manganese, and black with the mixture of different chemicals.
Many kumars manufacture bricks and tiles, along with earthenware of all shapes and sizes, and idols and toys. The manufactories of kumars well repay a visit. Beneath the same thatched roof are the kiln, storehouse and dwelling house, while a free space in front of the door is used as a place to prepare the clay.
The pottery made at Krishnanagar, Nadia is well known throughout the country for its fineness. Ghurni is one of the bulls eye of the traditional pottery in India. From the British Raj days potters, mainly the Pal’s are the best in this business. Potters of Bankura has a tradition of their own.
In the rainy season boats laden with earthenware from these places travel to neighbouring districts through river ways.
The subdivisions within the kumar caste in Bengal include Bara Bhagiya, Chota Bhagiya, Rajmahalia and Khatya. Historically, Vaishnava has been the favourite deity of the caste. Their religious observances do not appear to differ materially from those of other Hindu castes of similar social standing. The social standing of the caste is respectable. They are recognised as members of the Navashaka group and BRAHMANs would drink water from their hands. The profession of kumars run through family lineage and both women and men work together.
Pottery points to the existence of clay work in the country. Earthenware and utensils found in different old TERRACOTTA point to the existence of superb quality pottery in olden times. Pottery adorned with artistic subtly and creative design has made their way into art exhibitions and museums. With the passage of time, the development of wares of other materials ie, plastic and metal wares brought changes in the usage of pottery.
In the rural areas only the poor use rudimentary and cheap earthenware while opulent members in urban areas use pottery as show pieces in drawing rooms or as items of interior decoration.