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 The
patuas of Medinipur have for many generations painted
scrolls designed to be unrolled while the story accompanying
the pictures is sung. The patas are sheets of paper of
equal or different sizes sewn together and painted. Historically
the scrolls told religious stories but in the 20th century the
artists have added historical events, ecological disasters such
as storms and floods, and commentary on social issues.
The patua ekes out a meager income by going from village
to village and house to house with his bag of scrolls. In return
for money or food, he unrolls a pata and tells or sings
the story. While most of the patuas are men, there are
now a few women artists.
The patuas of Medinipur are an endogamous caste whose
religion and customs lie between Hinduism and Islam. While they
follow Muslim custom for life-marking ceremonies, they paint
more Hindu stories than Muslim, and observe a number of Hindu
rituals.
 The
patas on this page were purchased between 1980 and 1999
during various trips to West Bengal. The text accompanying each
frame is a brief summary of the artist's song. In real life,
the patua would slowly unroll the scroll and sing the
story in Bangla.
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The patuas of Medinipur
Quicktime Movie
- You will need the free Quicktime player available
here
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"Click" on the scroll
title to view the scroll imagery
- and read the story
behind it.
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