Tuesday 1 June 2010

Images of Bengal...Art,Handicrafts and Culture....from my Bengali Diary


This post is all about my Bong connections!...a tribute to Bengal !!... my home state. 
In this post I'll try to display the fascinating elegance of art and culture of this mesmerizing, beautiful 'Eastern Indian state'.
So, please come over and enjoy this colourful journey in a very Bengali way.....:)
Amar Bangla (My Bengal)


Durga Maa....Solar saje Durga ....the ultimate of Bengali devotion, sophistication and art  (pics from my Singapore home)












Banglar Tanth...Cotton Sarees from Bengal...the craftsmanship, the colours, the fine texture, the finishing...a true timeless beauty!!!! Even in today's world I found 'Bengal-Cotton' is very much  ravishing and contemporary in terms of style and elegance.
Here, some of my 'Bengal-Cotton' collections...




Terracotta art works from Bankura and Bishnupur....
a fascinating old world charm....Faces of Bengal


Terracotta horses and other terracotta motifs from Bengal....unique in style and design.



A Jamini Roy painting 'Krishna-Jashoda'....and 'Kalighater  Patochitra'...
...these are the true faces of Bengal.
The 'Potua' and 'Patochitra'....were the  integral part of Bengali culture in the famous'Bengali Babu Era'



The elegant Katha Stitch Sarees from Bengal....
'Nokshi-katha' ['Katha stitch'] was one of the most famous medium to tell (or to draw) a story( Golpo) in Bengal....nowadays a very famous export item from this eastern state.



a Bengal Katha Saree....!!:)

This Red 'n Black Bishnupori-Baluchori is one of my fevourites.... a perfect example of Bengal's timeless craftsmanship. These sarees can tell a whole epic(part-by-part) and may take years to weave.
An antique piece of Baluchori from my own collections...





'Alpona'...the Bengali version of Rangoli...mainly drawn with liquid form of rice-flour...isn't it eye candy?
'Alpona'-'Ghot'-'Amropallab'(Rangali-Earthen pot-Mango leaf) are essentials in any Bengali Puja-rituals




Glories of Bengal:-'BATIK' art work from Santiniketan.....!!


These beautiful Batik art works from Shantiniketan(Bolpur, West Bengal) are the highest form of Bengal's small-scale hand loom products...Batik is a very wellknown  art form in Bengal...:)




An unique Santiniketani Leather Bag...my all time favourite.

Eye Candy Bamboo-Jute and Shell products..



...the essence of  Bengal....


Bamboo products and 
earthern pots...a very common image(s) of Bengali Hatt (Banglar Hate-Bajare).

Shell products from Digha-Shankarpur (Midnapur Dist of Bengal)




Though Dohkra art work originated in Orissa-Chattishgarh, Bengal is also very famous for it's own specialised types of Dohkra art work.
Some Dohkra works from Bengal :







Bengal and it's mind blowing folk dance...a perfect blend of mainland Bengali culture with the tribal folks ....it's called Chhau Nach.
Chhau Nach from Jhargram (Purulia district of Bengal)....the dancers and their musks : 



The Culinary Delights of Bengal : Luchi-alurdom(Bengali version of roti/paratha/fulka), Ghee-bhat(Bengali fried rice), Mach(the femous Bengali fish) ,Payesh-Mishti(Bengali sweets).....



Luchi-alurdam....:)

Polao-Ghee Bhat



Sorshe Mach...:)

and Bengali sweets..



  


Almost a decade ago
when I was leaving my hometown Kolkata.....
on a late wintry evening,
the sun was setting by the west bank of  river 'Hooghly'.....
that unforgettable dusk and Kolkata....
my Kolkata...
and.....my very own Bengal...



.....Amar Sonar Bangla....Ami tomaye bhalobashi









                                                      [ some images: unknown sources]



4 comments:

PreeOccupied said...

Khoob shundor. Very nicely depicted. My mum has the same Baluchari. :-)

Sanghamitra Bhattacherjee(Mukherjee) said...

Thanks Pree for droppin by :-)
You rlovely comments are always so encouraging...it makes my day.

Anonymous said...

Hi There,

The pic line up as well as the color orientation is just amazing. Its very vibrant. Thank you for bringing this up in such a well organized manner.

Truly proud of amar sonar bangla!

Mohua said...

Great post and a vibrant blog!! Special thanks for showcasing Amar Sonar Bangla as Bengal's art and craft have not been popularised as other crafts of India, especially alpona, bridal chandan art, baluchari saree. Hope to see more Sanghamitra!!

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