Origin of the Wooden Dolls

Natungram is situated in Bardhaman District,4 K.M from Argadwip station. It is a simple rural area with soleful talented artisans.They are just not a simple artists but they are internationally recognized for their art and craft. It is about 1.5 hours drive from Bardhaman or Shantiniketan and it takes 4 hours from kolkata which is not too far from our daily hectic life. We can easily manage some sort of time for visiting this beautiful place for a lifetime experience of knowing artisans and to observe their art. 

Wood carving was started in Natungram near about200 years ago by a group of talented artists of ‘sutradhar’ (wood carver) community. The traditional wood craft of west Bengal have,  for centuries, been the preserve of the ‘Sutradhars’, one of the higher artisan castes of India. The ‘sutradhors’ also traditionally architects. Even today some well-known ‘Sutradhar’ families have handwritten treatises, drawing and diagrams setting out old constructional conventions, proportions and traditional plans, etc, for temples, dwelling, rath, chariots and boats.

The word ‘Sutradhar’ means carpenter and in West Bengal, mainly an area of alluvial plains, the basin of Ganga and its tributaries – these talented craftsmen had few opportunities of working with woods. Though they mostly worked with wood and executed magnificent carving in this medium, serving evidence of their artistry in wood is also scanty.

After Independence, the Government of India organised the All India Handicrafts Board to look after the craftspeople of India. The Late Shambhu Bhaskar ,a folk master –wood-carver of Natungram was encouraged by the Handicraft Board to evolve new items within his folk traditions. A whole group of outstanding items based on Hindu mythology and epics that he created is being reproduced now by the other craftsmen of this village. The Ravana and Durga being produced today sells for more than five hundred rupees.

[ Where to stay in Natungram :  People can easily stay in artisans home in Natungram (500Rs/- per day ) with 2 times meal of delicious Bengali foods. Another way is to stay in hotels or lodge in Katwa which is also not very costly. ]

References:
1. www.google.co.in

Some Words to Say

The crafts of India are diverse and rich in history. Each state in India has their own folk culture. Throughout the centuries crafts have been embedded as a culture and tradition within rural communities. They are a constant source of inspiration for contemporary designers and the subject for global exhibitions representing India. These crafts are traditionally made by rural artisans and express a charm of their own that has been long admired in the world for exquisite craftsmanship .West Bengal is a reknown place for handicrafts as there are many crafts are being made everyday.Various crafts like Terracotta , Dhokra , Rag dolls , Sholapith , Textiles , Masks and there are many more, Wooden crafts are one of them .

The Wooden Dolls of Natungram of Burdwan district is famous for its simplicity and traditional local flavour. The owl of Natungram has become a popular craft of attraction in the 80's. For centuries, wooden toys found their market essentially in rural fairs. A group of such toy makers had settled down in Natungram about a century and a half ago. Mainly the community of 'Sutradhars' have maintained and kept alive this folk art form in a very polishing manner. The dolls are made from various woods and both men and women take part during production . The branches are cut down and shaped in various size according their need and after completing few steps and painting the dolls are prepared to be sold . Specially wooden 'Owl' and 'Raja-Rani' are famous items here,but in this time of change they have adopted skills in making various wooden products like wooden stools, tables, table lamps, flower vases, birds and gods and goddess etc.  

This can be said, today it is one of a surviving art of Bengal that has some relation to folk art and earned a priceless artistic value . Basically effects of Globalization , technological revolution and changing taste of people have left this art form to survive alone . The artists live a life of hurdles here and just because of this, the new generations are losing faith for keeping this art form alive . The economy have slowly stopped supporting this art form .

In this journy we will try to explore and discuss about their art and life in brief .This blog is dedicated to raise some publicity of this dying folk art. Thank you .

References:
1. www.google.co.in

Special Thanks to Aaheli Naha  for providing all the photographs.