Shiv Sahay Singh, The Hindu, Kolkata, March 20, 2015 | To view the picture in a larger format and read the full story, click here >>
Daman Murmu, a 57-year-old artist who practises Chadar Badar. The artist from West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district says he wants to pass on this art to as many people as he can, but has so far got only one student.
Chadar Badar, an ancient form of puppetry, tells stories of the Santhal way of life, and migration
Daman Murmu, one of the few surviving artists who perform Chadar Badar, an ancient form of Santhal puppetry, wants to pass on this art to as many people as he can. However, so far he has got only one student, one of his sons-in-law Tanti Soren. […]
“I have been performing Chadar Badar since 2002. Every morning I carry this box on my bicycle as far as I can in areas surrounding my home and tell different stories,” Mr. Murmu told The Hindu on his recent visit to Kolkata earlier this month.
A resident of Uttar Dinajpur district in north Bengal he got his first taste of Chadar Badar, as a child, from a visitor who came from Dumka in Jharkhand. He learnt more about this from his uncle with whom he stayed for a number of years in Uttar Dinajpur district. […]
Anthropologists say that Chadar Badar reflects the Santhal way of life which has an element of their culture and stories of migration.
“The stories and the songs which accompany the performance keep changing. A close analysis suggests that the stories reflect what they imbibe from societies other than their own,” Kakuli Chakraborty, head of office, Eastern Regional Centre of the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) told The Hindu. […]
Documentary
Meanwhile, filmmaker Palash Das has come up with a documentary on Chadar Badar titled ‘Saga of a Puppet Show.’ The documentary will be screened at AnSI in the next few weeks.
Mr. Das told The Hindu that along with different aspects of the tribal art he has highlighted the life of another artist, Sukan Mardi of Birbhum who has been practising it for the past 18 years. “Chadar Badar, besides being a tribal art form is also an important tool in the tribal community to spread social messages,” he added. […]
Source: A dying art form that tells the Santhal story – The Hindu
Address: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/a-dying-art-form-that-tells-the-santhal-story/article7016199.ece
Date Visited: Fri Jun 12 2015 17:41:56 GMT+0200 (CEST)
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