Prof Bhaskar Mitra is many things rolled into one: He’s a photographer, academician, artist, dreamer, social worker, activist, adventure seeker… the list is endless. Recently, his installation ‘White Princess’, based on the concept of capacity building through art, won international acclaim.
Mitra is not only an academician but is also an artist, with a flair for fashion and handicraft design With over 16 years of expertise in the fashion world of design and academics in the national and international markets, he has to his credit more than 36 design consultancy projects, assisting the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) under Ministry of Textile, government of India.
Talking about his creation, he says, “This installation is given an altogether new ‘secular’ and ‘artistic’ orientation by a novel type of creativity as I grew up watching the field of Durga Puja designing, side by side with the communities of hereditary idol-makers or the suburban firms of pandal-decorators who had long dominated the trade. Her names are many, and so are her forms. In Durga pandals all over the country, she is represented in myriad avatars. Though I have studied in UK, all my learning happened watching the Durga puja pandals. There is no dearth to the imagination and devotion that goes into designing the ‘murti’. It’s installation art has been the best learning ground for me.”
He further adds, “My installation is inspired by watching these Durgama installations and so it is made of Sholapith which is also called as Indian cork, is a dried milky-white spongy plant matter which can be pressed and shaped into delicate and beautiful objects of art. It has been used in ornamentation for gods and goddesses since ancient times. It was used as it is natural and considered sacred than metal like gold or silver. I have also used recycled and waste materials like buttons, thrown out laces, plastic cups, sheets, etc.”
The sholapith plant is grown only in Birbhum district, West Bengal. It grows wild in marshy waterlogged areas. “I have seen the artisans of Bhirbum use this sacred bark to make Durgamaa and this is their only source of livelihood. Traditionally sholapith products were used in decorating Hindu idols and in creating the headgears of brides and grooms for a traditional Bengali wedding. The people engaged as sholapith craftsmen are known as Malakar, meaning “garland maker” because they made garlands made of shola for idols and for the noble class. My initiative is to promote this globally and give this dying art an identity. This is a dying art now and a dismal population of about 5,000 artisans are only indulged in this art. I have been working in close tandem with the craftsmen all my life and I know how much of hard work goes into making a beautiful creative piece. They don’t get paid sufficiently for the effort they put in. In fact they are underpaid and the middleman who buy from them sell their products for a huge price. My endeavour is to strive for their identity and their economic well-being.”
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