Chaalchitra

"Bajlo tomar alor benu..."

("The flute of your radiance begins to play...")

Mrinalini woke up to the tune of 'Mahishasurmardini' being played on radio sets of neighbouring households. On Mahalaya's auspicious morning, Birendra Krishna Bhadra's voice reciting the 'Mahishasurmardini Stotram' floated in the air. To Mrinalini, it always seemed like the first breath of autumn on earth. 

A sense of relief washed over her as the realisation dawned that all the chaalchitras ordered for had already been painted. Today, representatives of Puja committees and some bonedi households from Kolkata were supposed to collect the chaalchitras and pay her dues. The months leading up to the Durga Puja had been hectic. This was the time when demand was high for the chaalchitras.

Mrinalini put the kettle on the stove to make some tea for herself. Today she had no more work left on chaalchitras. She was just a year shy of eighty and those long hours of work for the past few months made her legs heavy and her hips ached. She added a few cloves and cardamoms to the boiling tea leaves for that extra tang.

The morning tea ritual was over. Mrinalini had ample time today. She lovingly looked for one last time at her own creations, the chaalchitras heaped on the floor of her workspace. In the middle of one particular chaalchitra, she had painted Mahadev. It reminded her of her own Mahadev - her long-departed husband, Subodh. Subodh was a chaalchitra and pot shilpo artist. It was he who initiated her into the art of chaalchitra painting more than sixty years ago. Mrinalini could almost visualize the shy, naïve, eighteen-year-old version of herself, the touch of Subodh's callused palms on her tender, creamy hands, gently guiding the intricate brushstrokes while she painted Radha-Krishna. She was the Radha, head over heels in love with her Krishna. Subodh was not just her partner, he was her mentor, her guide and her eternal lover - steadfast in his love towards his Parvati, just like Mahadev.

Subodh had always hoped to pass on the mantle of his art to Sunil, their only son. But Sunil had neither the artistic inclination nor the patience required to paint chaalchitras. Instead, he was more interested in making quick money. After finishing school, he managed to find a job as a security guard in a residential complex. When Subodh passed away, after forty years of blissful married life, it was Mrinalini who took up the mantle.

After Subodh's death, Mrinalini suddenly found all the colours drained from her life, leaving behind a gloomy, grey-tinted existence. The only things that added colours to her life were the colour palettes meant for chaalchitra painting - white derived from chalk dust, yellow from turmeric, blue from indigo and red from vermillion. She clung to those colours for dear life. Today as the honey-coloured autumn sunlight bathed the earth in a warm glow, she whispered, "Wait a little more for me, Subodh! Together we'll paint the heaven red."

Glossary:

Chaalchitra - A traditional form of painted panel art from Bengal, often depicting mythological or religious themes. These paintings are typically created on wooden boards using natural pigments. It serves as a decorated, painted backdrop behind Hindu deity idols, particularly during Durga Puja.

Bonedi - A term used in Bengal to refer to members of the traditional aristocratic or upper-class families, usually landowners or people of high social status with a long-established lineage. Bonedi families are often associated with wealth, heritage, and influence in society.

Pot shilpo - A term referring to artistic work involving painting or drawing on earthen pots, often featuring traditional motifs and designs, and is considered a form.of folk art from West Bengal, India.

Image: AI generated.