My contibution to Indian traditional art – Patta Chitra

India is rich in culture and heritage. And I love being a part of all its tradition. Long back before joining NIFT, I learnt the traditional painting of Orissa for 3 months. And since then I developed a keen interest for this art. The painting known as Patta Chitra or the Palm Leaf Painting became my favorite pass time. The above painting is one of my contributions to this great form of art. It took me 7 days to complete the painting.
Patta Chitra or the Palm Leaf Painting is an ancient art form that depicts tales and stories of Indian mythology, epics, gods and goddesses. This art form was an offshoot of written communication on palm leaves. In the ancient times when paper was not into existence messages and letters were etched out on palm leaves and dispatched. Slowly the text began to be embellished with illustrations. These illustrations became an art Form itself.
Process of palm leaf painting or etching involves a few intricate steps:
· Rows of same sized palm leaves are first arranged together and sewn.
· These neatly sewn palm leaves are then folded in such a manner so as to make a pile.
· These paintings are first etched out, which means that the designs and images are neatly etched on the surface of the palm leaf using a sharp pen like object.
· Ink (mixture of charcoal of burnt coconut shells, turmeric and oil) is then poured along the lines. The lines get defined after this application.
· Vegetable dyes are also added to give these paintings some color, but these paintings are mostly, dichromatic (black and white).
· The panels of the paintings are unfolded like a fan to reveal a beautiful Patta Chitra. And kept and stored in folded form.
Very few people know about this art and I feel lucky to be a part of this rich traditional art. And also fear about its existence in coming years. It’s high time for us to save our rich culture and I think being a designer we can help preserving these kinds of crafts. And last but not least I would like to thank my teacher Mr. Bichi who taught me this art patiently as it has really helped me grow as a designer.