Celebrating rural handicrafts from Bengal

Terracotta horses to guard the state

Child's play?

Staring into the Goddess

A parchment bearing history

A clay Chaau mask

Pottery demands intricate usage of the hands

The art of pottery is dying a slow death

Six yards of glory

Detailed gaze

A looming affair

Hands that toil

Handloom is an age old art from rural Bengal

Handloom artists weave into our fantasies

Potter's wheel turning round n' round

Buy and sell

The ancient handpainted scroll

Patachitra is now done on items of daily use

A patachitra depicting British colonial era in India

Etching onto tradition

Commemorating the 50th-anniversary of Crafts Council of West Bengal, an exhibition celebrating rural crafts from Bengal was organised at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Rabindranath Tagore Centre.

The exhibition shed light on the process of pottery making, using the conventional potter’s wheel. Also in store for revellers were the process of handloom making using the traditional handloom machine. A wide array of handicrafts, ranging from hand-drawn tee-shirts, umbrellas to terracotta figurines were on display for sale.

Shawna, a visitor at the exhibition from Nigeria exclaimed. “It was a brilliant idea to organise an exhibition showcasing the products from rural Bengal. This gives people like us, the rare opportunity to appreciate the art and the artist.”