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Living
Rhythms |
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Every
ethnic community has the blood of tribal memory circling their
hearts. Today the Adivasis of Jharkhand are coming back, not to the
despair that has marked their recent history, but to the strong
sounds of drums, flutes, cymbals and voices raised in song.
When the tribes of Jharkhand gather to celebrate a very
special occasion, whether at home or in village society, they make
music and dance to its rhythm. Maybe it makes them happy because it
brings that long memory back, into the framework of real life.
It
does not matter whether you understand the language or the lyrics of
the song that the; sing - ekhariya damckach, orjapi, jhumar, fagua,
veer seren, jhika, philsanjha, adhratiya or bhinsariya, doad, asadi,
jhumti, or dhuria or other important folk-songs - you will recognize
that they yearn to carry ancient memory and culture into their lives
today.
Percussion,
many kinds of percussion, along with a variety of musical
instruments are used by Jharkhand tribes to accompany their singing
and dancing. The Nagara, made of wood and stretched animal hide
played with drumsticks. Interestingly nagaras sound the best in
summers, in winter they lose their vibrant beat. The cylindrical
Mandar, played by hand. Dhak, dhamsa, damana, Madan bhewri, ananad
lahari, tuila, vyang, ar-bansi, shankh, karha, tasa, thala, ghanta,
kadri and gupi jantra are some quaint instruments played.
Dance
forms echo warrior-like movements of battles fought long ago, for
the men. Observations of animal and bird behaviour were also blended
into the dancing, sometimes light and airy, sometimes heavy and
solemn, as the mood demands. Everyday activities of womenfolk
-working in the fields, in the forests, in their homes, all reflect
themselves in dance forms like the timeless Chhau, which requires
agility, suppleness, skilful hand movements. The Seraikela school of
Chhau is held during the Sun Festival. It is influenced by the
principles of Bharatiya Natya Shastra but the theme is based on
folk-lore, nature and mythology. The choreograph follows Odissi in
composition and execution.
Other well-known dances of tribal communities in Jharkhand include
festive dancing such as - Sarhul /Baha, where sal and mohua flowers
are used ceremonially; the Dansai & Sorhai where the youth sing and
dance through the night of karam; Maghi Puja, an important festival
of the Munda tribe; Sarhul in which 'shalai' the flower of the sal
tree is offered to the gods, with the flower as a symbol of
brotherhood; Tusu, the harvest festival, celebrated mainly by
unmarried girls. A conopy is ade of light wood and covered with thin
tissue paper. The pyramidal shaped structure, edged with tinsel and
decorated with painted/printed images of local deities (sometimes
even film stars), is carried by village woman-chanting songs along
the way-to the nearest water resource and immersed in it. Bazra Puja,
when Bazra or 'millet' is ready for harvesting; and the Bhagta Parab
or the worship of Budha Baba.
Most of the folk
dance around Jharkhand is accompanied by traditional music played by
the musicians using some traditional musical equipment. Some of the
very famous Jharkhand dances are as follows:
Paika
is one of the very famous dance forms of Jharkhand. In fact, it is a
dance form where martial arts are mixed with some other dance steps.
This is why the dance form is only performed by the male members of
the society. Paika of Jharkhand is a very interesting dance form of
the region. It offers a thrilling entertainment to your eyes as the
men risk their lives to perform it. The dancers have to handle a
sword in one hand and the shield in other. For protection, they are
dressed with safety chest plates and head wears and bells are tied
on their ankles.
Paika in Jharkhand is accompanied by the melodious music of
Narsingha, Shahnai, Bheir and the Dhak and Nagara drums. This folk
dance of Jharkhand is performed for welcoming guests during various
functions.
The whole ambience during the performance of this dance form is very
charming. The dancers wearing their colorful robes along with the
local tribes create fascinating scenery. The dance adds more glaze
to the festivities.
Chhau
is one of the finest folk dances of Chhota Nagpur Plateau
region. The folk dance is performed in various states that lie in
this region such as West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand. The
word Chhau is derived from the Sanskrit word Chhaya which implies
shade, image, or mask.
Chhau of Jharkhand is a very beautiful dance form where the
dancers cover their faces during the dance with a mask and it is
this mask that attracts your attention towards the dance. Chhau is
different from classical dance because in the latter dance form
facial expressions are must, whereas in Chhau, it is the body
movements including the neck and head gesture. In Chhau, the dancers
use the mask and their body gestures to convey the stories. A
commentator stands aside who not only narrates the whole story with
dialogues but also sings the songs. During Chhau in Jharkhand, music
is played using various instruments such as Nagara, Jhanj, Mohuri,
Turi, Clude Dhol, Dhumsa, Flute, Bheri and Conch shells.
Over the years, this folk dance of Jharkhand has been classified
into various forms but the most authentic and original version of
the dance is available only in Jharkhand. The melodious music and
the colorful dancers with their brilliant dancing skills intoxicate
you so much that you do not feel like leaving the place before its
completion. So if you like dancing and are always open to learn,
then the best place to learn Chhau would be in Jhrakhand
where the original version is performed. Some of the very famous
stories that have been performed through Chhau in Jharkhand are
Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Santhal
is a very popular folk dance of Jharkhand. It is a group dance
performed by Santhal tribes of Jharkhand. This dance was performed
by the Santhal tribes during all special festivals and occasions.
This dance not only reveals the culture or traditions of the local
tribes but also showcases the strength of unity. The main attraction
of the Santhal dance in Jharkhand are the colorful costumes
worn by the tribal people. The typical garments worn by men during
the Santhal are dhoti and a turban but the main attraction is their
body decoration with various species of flora. Since the Santhal are
believed to be close to nature, they use natural things such as
leaves, branches and flowers to do their make-up and design their
clothes.
If you wish to witness the fun and frolic of Santhal dance at
Jharkhand then do visit it during the spring season for it is during
this season that the Santhals celebrate the spring festival where
they perform the folk dance. The colorful environment of the
festival is made more charming and attractive by the musicians who
play the music on various folk instruments such as cymbals, pipes,
flutes and drums. Moreover, the singers also put the right chord
with the rhythm. After, the Bamboo folk dance of Assam and Mizoram,
it is the Santhal dance of Jharkhand which is very popular among the
tourists of north eastern region. Moreover, the Santhal dance would
also help you in exploring the life style and culture of the
Santhals.
Karma
is a very popular folk dance of India. Though the folk dance is
performed in other states such as Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and
Chhattisgarh, it can be enjoyed the best in Jharkhand. The folk
dance is performed in the month of August during the Karma festival.
This folk dance of Jharkhand has derived its name from a tree named
Karma which is considered sacred because people believe that it
brings good luck and prosperity. Hence the Karma festival is nothing
but a celebration for the plantation of this tree. Karma at
Jharkhand seeks the participation of both men and women. The
festival starts with the plantation of trees after which the dancers
get into a circle and dance with their hands around each other's
waists. While dancing, they pass on the branch of the tree to each
other.
After the branch of Karma gets a complete circle, it is washed with
milk and rice. It is the belief of the local tribes that after these
rituals, the branch should not touch the earth. After this, once
again the branch is raised in between the dancers.
During the Karma of Jharkhand, the men leap forward with the rapid
roll of the drums whereas the women bend down with their feet moving
to and fro with the beats of the music. The dance of Karma in
Jharkhand is accompanied by the melodious music of folk music
instruments such as Jhumki, Thumki, Chhalla and Payri. Various forms
of Karma are performed in various regions. The two most popular
forms of Karma in Jharkhand are Lahsua and Khare. This dance in
Jharkand is performed mainly by Baigas and Gonds. |
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Art,
Craft & Living |
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 Jharkhand
is full of surprises. Archeaologists have unearthed pre-Harappan
pottery, and pre-historic cave paintings and rock-art, that hint at
ancient, cultured civilizations inhabiting these parts. Who exactly
were the original settlers of Jharkhand? We will never truly know.
But one look at the intricate woodwork, the pitkar paintings, tribal
ornaments, stone carvings, dolls and figurines, masks and baskets,
will tell you how deep into time these manifestations of culture go,
how the well-spring of creativity continues to recharge the spirit
of the tribes and the state itself.
Among the most delicate, fragile, beautiful ands threatened
indigenous traditions of India are for example, the Kohvar and
Sohrai paintings, which are sacred, secular and relevant to a
woman's world. This is the art practiced exclusively by married
women, during weddings and at harvest time, and the skill and the
information is handed down to younger females of the clan.
Comb-cut or finger-painted, Kohvar art celebrates marriage, and the
wall-painted Sohrai, bumper crops. Elaborate design motifs, animal
and plant forms, fertility motifs are abundant and often echo
ancient cave art found in the surrounds. The colours used are all
natural - neutral earth shades, red oxide from stone, red ochre,
kaolin white, manganese black earth etc.. Blue and green are
aberrant colours and do not feature prominently.
Jharkhand is known for its wood work, bamboo works, pitkar
paintings, tribal ornaments and stone carving. The beautifully
carved wood products and bamboo products show the craftsmanship of
the people. Lack of promotion and marketing for these products has
mostly resulted in extinction of some crafts like paitkar paintings
and stone carvings. Wood Craft: Once a dense forest area, Jharkhand
with the abundance of wood, resulted in the use this for creating
variety of wood articles for household requirements. Bamboo: The
bamboos found in the Jharkhand forest are thin but flexible and
strong. Using these, the artisans of Jharkhand produce different
artifacts like basket, haunting and fishing equipment.
The people here are to be much involved into artistic approaches in
whatever they work, to name some of the fame arts in this region
could be Oraon Bhitichitra , Santhali Bhitichitra and Jado Patiya
are the styles of paintings that still exist. |
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Distinctive
Traditions |
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Each sub-caste and
tribal grouping Jharkhand has a unique tradition to uphold.
Oraon comb-cut paintings can be traced back to ancient times.
Images of cattle, feeding troughs, papyrus, birds, fish, plants,
circled lotus, zigzag, square,
opposing triangle geometric forms, arches in series - are common.
Floral art forms are used during harvest time.
Ganju art forms are characterized by images of animals, wild
and domesticated, and plant forms. Large murals of animals, birds,
and floral exotica, decorate homes. Endangered animals are often
depicted in picture-story tradition.
Prajapati, Rana &Teli the three sub-castes decorate their
homes with plant and animal fertility forms, using both finer
painting and comb cutting techniques. The 'prajapati' style uses
filigree work, with emphasis on zoomorphic plants representations
and Pashupati (Siva) the God of Animals, and floral motifs filled
with colour.
Kurmi. an
unique style of 'sohrai', where drawing outlines are scratched onto
the surface of a wall with nails and a wooden compass is used to
etch the segmented lotus. Pashupati or Lord Shiva is depicted as a
horned deity on the back of a bull. Red, black and white lines are
drawn in pairs on either side to represent the ashes of ancestors.
The Kurmis of Bhehwara use glyptic art to represent plants on the
walls and floors of their homes.
Mundas use their fingers to paint in the soft, wet earth of
their homes and use unique motifs like the rainbow snake and plant
forms of deities. Lavender-gray coloured mud from rock-art sites
next to Munda villages, are used with ochre mud as contrast colour.
Ghatwals use glyptic paintings of animals on their forest
dwellings.
Turi who are a small community of basket-makers use
predominantly floral and jungle-based motifs in natural earthy tones
on the walls of their homes.
Birhor & Bhuiya use simple, strong, and authentic graphic forms
like 'mandalas', painting with their fingers. Crescents, stars,
yoni, rectangles with corner petals, ovals with flared lines and
concentric circles, are common.
Manjhi Santhal - the striking warring figures painted in black
on simple clay plaster walls are startling reminders that their
origins probably had links with the Indus Valley civilization. |
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Crafts for
Life...Life for Crafts |
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Superb craftsmen for generations, the tribal communities of
Jharkhand have created and perfected exquisite works of art based in
the rich and unique natural resources of the land.
Woody Wonders
The
slender, strong and supple bamboo is sculpted into beautiful and
practical articles such as door panels, boxes, spoons, hunting nd
fishing equipment, boat-shaped baskets, rice huskers and bowls that
are smeared with pink and leaf-green powder on ritual occasions.
'Pattal' plates and bowls made from 'sal' leaves are used widely
during wedding and other festivities. "Sabai ghaas' or wild grass is
woven into bowls, pen-stands, coasters and mats, or dyed and woven
into intricate and colourful boxes, dolls, table mats and Christmas
tree decorations. Chaibasa region is famous for these.
Small villages around Ranchi have for generations created
finger-painted toys from palm leaves, some with detachable limbs and
wheels for mobility. These toy-makers create elaborate toys based on
the wedding of Lord Rama, and brilliant parakeets with red beaks and
paddy green feathers.
'Kanghee' combs are wonderful items for use and decor. Wood axes
with tribal motifs burnt into their handles, are collectors items,
but found in almost any weekly 'haat' or village bazaar.
Upturned, bowl shaped umbrellas of cane are used in fields, but can
be used in any corporate garden. Finely carved door panels, wood
inlay boxes, wooden Crosses and Virgin Mary figurines and the crown
of thorns rendered in wood - are crafted in villages like Khunti.
Tribal theme toys and carvings, like a band of drummers, ancient
'bird-woman' figurines, statuettes of tribal leaders like Birsa
Munda and those of mighty and mythological animals such as the
Rhino, all created in wood, will delight connoisseurs and
art-collectors and scholars alike.
The people of Jharkhand though they are tribal base they are good
craftsmen with great workmanship , they excel in terracotta,
bamboo-work, Seenk-work, Kasida, Pottery, Stone craft, textiles etc;
apart from these they do wonderful body paintings , tattoos, stone
cutting, bull painting ( during Bandna) folk painting fresco,
sculpting horse, elephant etc; for the uses of rituality. Scroll
painting or Paitkar is famous but recently becomes obsolete.
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Musical
Instruments |
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Sarangi :
The
Jharkhand sarangi is one of the most well known musical
instruments in the eastern state of Jharkhand in India. The
sarangi of Jharkhand is often used for producing the
background music for various forms of folk songs, which are
widely sung by the people belonging to various tribal
communities in the state.
Some of these types of folk songs at Jharkhand are Dohari,
Domkach, Mardana Jhumar, Daidhara, Akhariya Domkach,
Pahilsanjha, Pawa, Pratkali, Udasi, Janani Jhumar, Faguwa,
Vinsariya, Jhumta and Adhratiya.

The sarangi as well as other popular musical instruments of
the state including the bansuri, the singa and the arbansi
are used commonly to musically enrich the folk songs of the
state.
The musical instrument of sarangi has a bent appearance. The
instrument consists of three major parts. These three parts
are the main body of the sarangi, the strings and the
soundboard. The musical instrument of sarangi in Jharkhand
has three basic strings and a number of additional strings.
The additional strings of the Jharkhand sarangi vary
between 20 and 30. The three main strings are heavier than
the rest of the strings. These strings are the ones that are
to be bent while playing the instrument. The remaining
strings help to produce the sound identical to this
particular musical instrument.
The name of the instrument sarangi is commonly believed to
mean 'hundred different colors'. The name not only suggests
the wide range of tunes that can be produced on the
instrument, but also the variety of schools of music that
can be easily accommodated on this instrument.
Bansuri :
Jharkhand bansuri
is one of the most important musical instruments that are
used commonly in the state of Jharkhand in India. The
bansuri of Jharkhand is one of the many musical instruments
that are played as the background music to a variety of folk
songs, which are very popular amongst the people of the
tribal groups in Jharkhand.
These folk songs of Jharkhand are Dohari, Domkach, Akhariya
Domkach, Janani Jhumar, Faguwa, Mardana Jhumar, Pawa, Udasi,
Pahilsanjha, Daidhara, Vinsariya, Adhratiya, Jhumta and
Pratkali.

Bansuri, along with some other musical instruments of the
state of Jharkhand like the singa, the arbansi and the
sarangi are closely associated with the folk songs of
Jharkhand.
The bansuri in Jharkhand has five major parts. These five
parts are the mukha randhra, the dandi, the garbha randhra,
the swar randhra and the rassi. The mukha randhra is the
hole through which the player blows. The dandi is the
bansuri's body.
The garbha randhra is the bansuri's opening point. The swar
randhra are the six or seven holes that are meant to be
touched with fingers. The rassi is used to bind up the body
of the bansuri.
There are generally six holes in the bansuri at Jharkhand.
Nowadays, the bansari has an extra hole. This extra hole
helps the bansuri-player to achieve a greater accuracy of
tune. It also makes it easier for the player to produce a
particular note by the bansuri, particularly a high-pitched
one.
From ancient times, the musical instrument of bansuri has
had very close associations with the folk music of the
Indian subcontinent. The Jharkhand bansuri is
carrying forward the lineage of use of bansuri in folk
songs.
Singa
is a wind
instrument of Jharkhand which is played in pairs in
different ceremonies and occasions like weddings and other
festivals.
The music of Jharkhand includes a multiple of popular folk
songs, dances and other instrumental music. All these forms
of music are played on different occasions which undoubtedly
add a different flavor to those ceremonies. Among these
instruments, the Jharkhand musical instrument Singa is
mainly played on wedding ceremonies which with the passage
of time has become a tradition of the folk culture of
Jharkhand.
This culturally rich state witnesses a large number of
festivals and occasions throughout the year. Their folk
literature is decorated with a variety of music and
instruments. If art and culture is an integral part of the
heritage of Jharkhand, then Jharkhand wind instrument Singa
is a major musical instrument of it.
Singa of Jharkhand is a folk instrument made of brass. This
special instrument is similar to the shape of 'S' and is
mainly played on the occasions like wedding and other
special programs. This wind instrument is played by blowing
at one end with the mouth to form sound at the conic opening
of the other end.
Most of the people of Jharkhand are well introduced to the
music of Singa. |
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Jharkhand Music |
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Jharkhand
music is largely
tribal in nature. It shares many points of commonality with
the folk music of Bihar and the music of the neighboring
districts of West Bengal with a wide tribal populace like
Purulia and Bankura. Like most forms of tribal art, most of
the music of Jharkhand is not merely entertainment, although
that aspect always remains there, but have great ritualistic
and social significance to it. Songs and dances both go hand
in hand in Jharkhand musical art.
Jharkhand
Tribal Music
Tribal music plays a very
important role in the overall scenario of the music at
Jharkhand. Some of the major forms of tribal songs from
Jharkhand are:
Dohari
Domkach
Janani
Jhumar
Jhumta
Pratkali
Daidhara
Mardana
Janani
Dohari
Domkach
Dances also feature prominently in Jharkhand musical art.
Some of the major forms of dances in Jharkhand are:
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Natua
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Jadur
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Nachni
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Agni
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Ghatwari
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Jamda
The forms of
tribal music in Jharkhand are absolutely indigenous and have
continued in the same way for time immemorial. The musical
instruments, the dancing steps, the vocal inflections all
have their unique flavors. However it should be remembered
that most of Jharkhand musical performances are group
performances, since solo performances are virtually unknown
within the tribal musical aesthetics.
Social
Significance of Jharkhand Music
Jharkhand music does not
always necessarily play the role that is purely
entertainment. More often than not, they have some
ritualistic and social significance attached to them.
Sometime they commemorate some tribal incidence of tribal
significance and sometime they provide social commentary. In
fact, music has often acted as the voice of protest against
oppression and has worked as important political tools.
However, more often the themes are religious and draw from
the mythological canon of tales and stories as subjects of
representation.
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Crafts Of
Jharkhand |
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The
crafts of Jharkhand form a very significant part of the
cultural lineage of the state of Jharkhand in India. The
crafts at Jharkhand exhibit a great deal of expertise. But,
the perfection of the craftsmanship is not matched with
necessary promotional activities. Due to this, the crafts in
Jharkhand, as a whole, have not received the national and
international acclaim that it deserves.
Some of the important crafts in Jharkhand are bamboo crafts,
wood crafts, metal works, Paitkar paintings, ornaments,
stone carvings and toys.
The bamboo crafts of Jharkhand exhibit wonderful hand
work. The important bamboo articles in Jharkhand include
different baskets. Other bamboo articles of the state are
the accessories used for fishing and hunting. The Jharkhand
crafts of wood are mainly of day-to-day use. The different
articles that the people of Jharkhand make include window,
boxes and the panels of doors.
The Paitkar paintings, also called the scroll paintings, are
mainly based on the theme of what happens to the human life
after death.
The main varieties of jewelry that the tribal people of
Jharkhand wear are the ornaments meant to be worn on the
different parts of the arm including wrists, earrings and
neck pieces. The metal works of Jharkhand include hunting
implements, weapons, agricultural equipments and ornaments.
The stone carvings of Jharkhand are another important form
of craft, which is gradually becoming extinct. The toys of
Jharkhand are mainly made up of wood. The toys are
colorfully painted and can be moved according to one's will.
Wood crafts of Jharkhand :
The wood crafts of Jharkhand form one of the
most significant art forms in the state. Earlier, the state
of Jharkhand had plenty of forestland, which gave a massive
supply of wood. This led to the large-scale use of wood in
making a variety of articles of daily use.
A great variety of wood crafts in Jharkhand are made by the
people of Jharkhand, which exhibit a blend of beauty and
utility. The items are mostly of daily use, but the
beautiful designs that they showcase make them pieces of
art. The different shapes and sizes of Jharkhand wood crafts
that they produce include things as mundane as boxes and the
panels of doors.
The boxes as well as the panels exhibit wonderful patterns
carved out of hard wooden surface. Windows made of wood are
also included in the list of items that the tribal groups of
the state of Jharkhand produce. The people of the state make
beautiful spoons with intricate designs on them with wood.
The tribal people of the state are involved in different
types of wood crafts of Jharkhand. These carvings
require a great deal of skill. The wooden articles are quite
in demand within as well as outside the country of India.
However, the recognition that the people of Jharkhand get
for the labor they put in producing wood crafts at Jharkhand
is not sufficient. This is due to the lack of marketing
strategies of these tribal people. The wooden articles that
are produced by the tribal population of the state need to
be promoted for the economic and social improvement of this
impoverished lot.
Bamboo crafts of Jharkhand :
There are quite a few forms of craft in the eastern
state of Jharkhand and one of them is the bamboo crafts
of Jharkhand. The people of the state who belong to the
different ethnic groups in the state are mainly engaged in
this form of craft.
The Jharkhand bamboo crafts that the tribal people of
Jharkhand are engaged in show a great deal of intricate and
fascinating hand work, which is quite unique to the state of
India. The major articles that are made out of bamboo in
Jharkhand include baskets and accessories used for fishing
and hunting.
The bamboo crafts in Jharkhand that the ethnic people of the
state of Jharkhand make are mostly carved out of the bamboos
available locally. The variety of bamboo produced by the
bamboo grooves of the state is not very thick. However,
these bamboos are suitable for the different kinds of bamboo
crafts at Jharkhand, since they are not weak and yet can be
twisted and turned to a great extent.
The bamboo crafts that the people of the state of
Jharkhand make out of bamboo show a lot of deftness in the
profession. But, unfortunately, these beautifully crafted
items carved out of bamboo have not got the critical acclaim
that they deserve.
This is owing to the fact that these articles are mostly
made by the tribal population of the state and these people
are not quite aware of the ways of today's world including
marketing or advertisement. This lack of awareness keeps the
rest of the world quite unaware of what these people are
creating.
Paitkar paintings of Jharkhand
constitute one of the most popular crafts of the state of
Jharkhand. The Paitkar paintings at Jharkhand are one of the
most ancient schools of painting in the entire country of
India. Yet, they are not as much in demand in India and
abroad as they ought to be. This is due to the fact that
most of the forms of craft of the state are mainly the
domain of the tribal people.
The historical lineage of the Paitkar paintings of
Jharkhand can be traced to the culture associated with
the state of West Bengal. The cultural heritage of this old
form of painting has associations with one of the most well
known goddesses in the Bengali household, Ma Mansa. The
Paitkar paintings of Jharkhand have links with the
socio-religious custom of holding yajnas and giving alms.
The Paitkar paintings in Jharkhand are also popularly known
as the scroll paintings. The form of painting has got its
name from its character. The paintings that belong to this
school have a common subject of what happens to human life
post death.
These people have not been able to spread the name of their
creations far and wide. Particularly, the Jharkhand Paitkar
paintings are suffering a massive setback and in near
future, it might transform into a form of painting of the
past. The tribal people of the state of Jharkhand cannot
save this ancient art form from extinction due to their
inability to market it owing to financial constraints.
Metal works of Jharkhand
constitute one of the most well known forms of craft
in the whole state of Jharkhand in India. The metal works at
Jharkhand exhibit a wonderful amalgamation of utility and
looks.
The Jharkhand metal works produced by the ethnic people of
the state can be classified into four broad categories.
These are the weapons, the ornaments, the hunting implements
and the agricultural equipments. The two main metals used
for making different kinds of jewelry are silver and gold.
They make metal weapons mainly for defensive purposes. The
hunting and agricultural equipments help the people of the
state in their ways of livelihood.
There are two communities in the state of Jharkhand whose
names are specially associated with the Jharkhand metal
works. These are the Tentri community and the Malhar
community. These two communities have become popular
throughout the state of Jharkhand for the expertise they
show in the metal works in Jharkhand.
The people of the communities of Thentri and Malhar are very
efficient in the technique of casting of iron. The artisans
of these two communities mainly specialize in metal articles
of day-to-day use. They cast iron to produce such articles.
In comparison to the level of craftsmanship these metal
works of Jharkhand show, the acknowledgement they have
received is quite nominal. Most of the metal works of
Jharkhand are created by the people belonging to the
various tribal communities of the state. These people are
not well accustomed as the urban people with the industrial
strategies like advertisement and other forms of promotion.
The stone carvings of
Jharkhand
constitute one of the most well known
forms of craft in the state of Jharkhand in the eastern part
of the subcontinent of India. The stone carvings in
Jharkhand show quite a lot of efficiency on the part of the
artisans. They make fine and beautiful designs on stone.
Their work deserves a large-scale recognition. But
unfortunately, the stone carvings at Jharkhand have not got
the fame that they should have. This is owing to the fact
that most of the carvings on stone in the state are the
domain of the people who belong to a variety of tribal
sects. These people are not well equipped with the nuances
of the industrial world. Hence, they have yet not been able
to acquire the promotional skills.
The Jharkhand stone carvings are gradually becoming a dying
small-scale industry due to the lack of its promotion. This
ancient form of art very badly needs some funds for its
marketing. Some initiative should be taken by the government
of Jharkhand or some private sector organization, which is
interested in keeping alive this art.
A very few stone carvers still exist in the state of
Jharkhand, though they too depend on some alternate
profession for their bread and butter, due to the lack of
market value of the stone carvings of Jharkhand.
Without any aid from the government or the private sector,
the Jharkhand stone carvings will soon become a craft form
of the past and people will refer to it as an extinct art
form with a rich historical background.
Jharkhand ornaments
are one of the major forms of crafts in the state of
Jharkhand in India. The ornaments created by the people
belonging to the tribal groups of Jharkhand show a great
deal of perfection in the art.
The people belonging to different tribal groups have a
special knack for beautifying themselves with a wide range
of ornaments in Jharkhand. However, the kind of ornaments
that they prefer to wear is not very complicated or
elaborate.
The major types of jewelry that they wear are neck pieces,
earrings and ornaments worn on the wrists and other parts of
the arm.
The artisans of the state of Jharkhand in the eastern part
of India are involved in making basic ornaments. They
chiefly use two kinds of metal for making jewelry. These two
metals are silver and gold. The people of Jharkhand also
like to wear another type of jewelry, which are mainly made
up of beads. The ethnic people of the state occasionally
wear Jharkhand ornaments made with various kinds of
precious stones.
The different types of ornaments of Jharkhand are yet to
achieve the name and fame that they deserve within India as
well as outside the country. The ornaments at Jharkhand have
not attained a large-scale market due to the fact that most
of these jewelries are created by the ethnic people, who are
not well equipped with the activities necessary to promote
an art form.
The art of ornament making has developed into one of the
foremost art forms in the state due to the high level of
interest of the tribal people in jewelry.
Jharkhand toy making
is one of the major crafts of the state. The people who
belong to the various ethnic communities of the state show a
great deal of expertise in the art of toy making. The main
framework of the toys, which are the products of
Jharkhand toy making industry, is cut out of wood.
The craft of toy making in Jharkhand is not devoid of the
technological aspects of the modern world. The toys are
often equipped with wheels, so that children can control and
move them according to their own whims and fancies. The toys
have limbs that can be moved with the help of a string. The
flexible toys are made up of portions of palm leaves. These
leaves are painted with fingers or dotted with pink color.
The toys are painted with bright colors for drawing the
attention of the little children. The toys created by the
people of Jharkhand are inspired by the world around.
The craft of toy making of Jharkhand has thrived
particularly in the hilly areas of the state. Another region
that is well known for this art form is the surrounding area
of Ranchi, which is the capital of Jharkhand. These places
of the state boast of a couple of families which have picked
up the skills of toy making at Jharkhand generation after
generation.
Like all the other forms of art in Jharkhand, toy making has
not attained large-scale recognition in India as well as
beyond the country. This is because of the lack of marketing
awareness of the tribal people of the state. |
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