Kalighat Painting- from the banks of the Hooghly

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In the 19^th century, Kolkata (then Calcutta) was the thriving capital of British India. As the city continued to flourish, it gave rise to a new class of locals- the Babus and the Bibis. The Bengali Babus were educated in English, enjoyed a western lifestyle, patronised arts and culture and indulged in personal grooming and fashion. They also made some questionable decisions in their personal and professional lives, but that is a different matter! The wives of the Babus, popularly called the Bibis, took a keen interest in fashion to the extent of incorporating French and English elements in their wardrobe. Although they were not the empowered women we ideally want to see, they received some opportunity to study and explore the outside world, making them more progressive than their female ancestors.

The decadent lifestyle of this nouveau-rich class captured the imagination of folk painters and thus started a new genre of art – the Babu and Bibi series of Kalighat painting.

Kalighat is a locality in South Kolkata, and one of the prominent holy sites for Hindus. Here resides Kali, the fierce form of Mother Goddess fondly revered across Bengal. With Her blessings, Kalighat became a popular pilgrimage and the local commerce attracted migrants looking for better opportunities. Among them were the Patachitra artists who used to sell paintings of religious figures as souvenirs to the pilgrims. Patachitra originally is a form of scroll painting with a narrative. As the painter unrolls the scroll, moving from one scene to the next, they sing out the story. The Kalighat style however focussed on single scenes. At first, they painted mythological characters. But with storytelling in their genes, soon started to depict aspects of daily life. As the demand for paintings diminished, artists moved on to make clay sculptures of religious figures, a practice that continues even today in the lanes of Kalighat. The Victoria and Albert museum in London has the world’s largest collection of Kalighat paintings.

Bright colours ✅

Bold outlines ✅

Kalighat painting evolved as a unique genre of Indian painting in 19th-century Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), in West Bengal. We hold the largest collection of Kalighat paintings in the world – discover more here: https://t.co/hu0LGNgcki pic.twitter.com/HLnnXz6N2P

— V&A (@V_and_A) April 5, 2020

Humour has often been an effective tool to highlight social evils. Babu culture, with its pomp and grandeur, was also associated with corruption and debauchery. The Kalighat paintings had unmissable satirical element and Bibis were often found beating Babus with broomsticks for spending time with women of ill repute!

With Indian independence, Babu-dom gradually lost its importance. In popular culture, the anglicised, ‘proper’ Bengali gentleman is still fondly called Babu, though the word Bibi never caught on. Vikram and I, with our sartorial savviness, have often been called Pater Babu ar Bibi, the Babu and Bibi from Patachitra painting, a colloquial term used to lovingly describe the well-dressed gentleman and lady.

Few months ago, I stumbled across a viral painting of Babu and Bibi taking a selfie with their dog. This is among a series of works by new age Kalighat style painter Bhaskar Chitrakar.

Bhaskar is a fourth-generation artist and is currently the only practitioner of Kalighat style who lives in Kalighat. His father, late Dulal Chitrakar was a sculptor who painted as a hobby, like his father. He however encouraged his son to paint, advising him to find his own style instead of blindly copying his predecessors.

Bhaskar told me that from childhood he was fascinated with the Mughal style of miniature paintings and if you look at his creations, the influence is obvious. Most of his works are on the lives and times of the Babu and Bibi of today with enough quirky elements thrown in between.

It is admirable how he has added a modern twist to the traditional Kalighat school, thereby bringing back focus to the art of his ancestors.

Few months ago, I contacted Bhaskar to commission a painting. I provided him with two reference pictures, one where Vikram is recording my dance on his mobile, and another where our pampered paws Chewy is wondering why we are not paying him enough attention! I gave him creative freedom with just one request, Babu needs to be clean shaven, because that is how I like my man!

Impressed with the end result, my cousin Arnab also commissioned a painting and few of his friends followed. I have people asking me for contact information of craftspeople often, but I never get to know if they purchased anything. This time I was aware though, that a talented young man managed to sell at least four paintings because I had come across his work online. It sparked a new idea in me, and this blog was born.

Bhaskar uses powder pigments on paper and it only takes him a few days to finish one painting. He lives close to my parental home in Kolkata and delivered the product himself. Many of his clients live overseas and he can arrange international delivery if required.

I called him this week to seek his permission for this post. He said he and his family enjoy my dance videos, his favourite being ‘Dafli-wale’.

About Post Author

Pritha Dasmahapatra

Welcome to my little space where I discuss handlooms and handicrafts of India. I have created this site with the purpose of promoting the works of grassroot artisans and make it easier for you to buy directly from them. By profession I am a gynaecologist currently practising in London though I am Kolkata bred. I am a senior practitioner of Odissi dance and run a YouTube channel where I speak about fashion, makeup, health and also show off my dancing abilities!

[email protected]

https://www.babubibi.com

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