Patronised by royalty once, West Bengal’s clay art is now struggling to survive.
A two-hour drive from Kolkata takes you to Putul Patti in Krishnanagar, home to some of West Bengal’s finest sculptors. Putul Patti — putul is Bengali for dolls and patti means hub — is known for its clay art, from miniatures to larger-than-life figures.
The art form was “imported” from Natore, a district in northern Bangladesh, when the king of Krishnanagar and Burdwan brought four families of craftsmen adept in clay art to his kingdom. The artisans, whose ancestors once received royal patronage, are now migrating to other states in search of better means of livelihood or to keep their art alive elsewhere. Some of them have switched from clay to fibreglass and metal.
“After France, Krishnanagar in Nadia district is the only place in the world that nurtures a craft which creates life-like human figures with such sharp features,” says Debdulal Paul, a clay art workshop owner. Besides human figurines, the craftsmen make clay toys and replicas of Hindu gods and goddesses. The sizes range from one inch to nine-foot statues. The price range is as vast — from Rs 5 to a couple of crores, depending on the medium and intricacy of the work. “Bronze statues or figures can cost up to Rs 5 crore,” says Paul.
While there is no dearth of skill in Krishnanagar, the craftsmen lack technical knowhow. “We still use the brick furnace to dry the clay figurines instead of the electrical furnace because that’s an expensive proposition,” rues Paul. Owning to a weak communication network and poor transport system, the town does not attract too many tourists.
With opportunities drying up, many craftsmen have migrated to states like Haryana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan. “There are a lot of projects in these areas and there is a huge demand for skilled craftsman,” says Sanjay Sarker, a craftsman from Krishnanagar who has migrated to Punjab. “There is a lot of respect there and sufficient money for our work unlike in our native land,” he says. Sarker is in Krishnanagar to visit his family and also to work on two projects, one of which has been commissioned by Apeejay Education Society and the other by a merchant based in Canada. “The bronze sculpture of Ambika Paul, the late daughter of Swaraj Paul, is to be put up at Apeejay Foundation in Punjab,” says Sarker. The statue is being made first in clay dice and will then be coated in bronze. It’s priced at Rs 3 lakh. The other statue he is working on is an eight-and-a-half foot fibreglass horse worth Rs 75,000.
Sarker is lucky to have landed such lucrative projects. Not everybody is as fortunate. “Sales are mainly confined to local fairs,” laments Subir Paul, a national award winning craftsman who has exhibited his works at various international fairs including those in Spain, Germany and the United States. “The government does not encourage the craft and that is very frustrating for the present generation.”
Subir has made a life-size fibreglass statue of Bengal’s new chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, which he plans to personally gift to “Didi”. “I wanted to convey my regards to Didi and also to draw her kind attention to the ailing craft,” he says. Desperate to keep the art form alive, Subir wants to open a clay art institute. He is hopeful Banerjee will understand their plight since she is an artist herself and loves to paint.