Socio Economic and Gender Contexts of Patta Painting (A Study in Development Perspective)

About the Book:

Art is an expression of the intrinsic qualities and meaning man finds in reality with things, persons, events or life as such. Art, in various forms, is a part of our life. But sometimes art itself becomes the life of some artisans as seen in the case of Chitrakaras of Odisha, whose life revolves around ‘Patta Painting’. Authors, through both synchronic and diachronic approaches, have described sufficiently the historical and socio-cultural aspect of Chitrakara caste, duties of the Chitrakaras and their position in the Jagannath temple along with the relationship of patta painting with Lord Jagannath. Like the history of the caste, the history of the craft has also been attempted by the authors. The authors have elaborately discussed all the stages, techniques and artifacts involved in Patta painting and given a detail description including nature, style, color schemes, technique and themes and mode of expression as well as regional variation and emerging changes in this age-old craft of patta painting. Taking both caste and craft at its core, the present study intends to focus on changes and development in the overall craft tradition of ‘Patta’ painting. The response of the ‘Chitrakaras’ to the development stimuli has been discussed in conjunction with the processes of change and development taking place in the caste community due to the impact of modernization. Monetization and market orientation of the paintings have influenced the life-style and work habits of the Chitrakara caste community which, to a decisive degree, determine not only the future of the craft but also the future of the caste community under study. This book will be of immense help not only to the researchers, scholars, academicians but also to any artist and art-loving person to get a basic understanding of the traditional craft of Odisha.

About the Author:

Dr. Jagannath Dash is a professor in Anthropology at Utkal University, Bhubaneswar. He specializes in Social and Cultural Anthropology. He obtained M.sc. and Ph.d. degrees in Anthropology from Utkal University. His major areas of teaching and research are Anthropological Thought, Human Ecology, Linguistic Anthropology, Psychological Anthropology, folklore, and Kinship. He has received several national and international fellowships, associateship and Cultural Exchange Programmes in the field of anthropological research and visited countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, China, Singapore, Australia, France, England, Scotland and USA in this connection. He has published several books on a variety of themes like Saora Language, Cult of Jagannath, Customary Law, Human Ecology, Violence Against Women, Shamanism, Odia Cinema, Indigenous Knowledge System, Tribal Development, etc.. He has published several research papers in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Mamata Dash is currently working as a lecturer in the school of women studies at Utkal University. She completed post-graduation in Anthropology and Law from Utkal University, Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar. She was awarded a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology by Utkal University in 1999. She completed post-graduation in Women’s studies from Mother Teresa Women’s University, Tamil Nadu. She is associated with many International, National and local NGOs as a trainer and consultant to various Research Projects. She works for the cause of women.