Scroll narratives of Bengal : tradition and continuity

Abstract

The Scroll Narrative Art has assumed a decisive role in the society. How enthusiastically they are composing kathas ( narratives ) gradually kathas (narratives or stories) are changing into geetikas (sweet melodies) and skillfully, the melodies are arising into visual images on the pictorial/scroll surfaces. Finally well made scroll paintings altogether stories are reaching to the mass, as the form of mass-amusement and mass-communication to reinforce it as the type of audio-visual presentation tools to speak of it before the crowd as an intercultural method of communication. Scroll narrative artist community known as Patuas performs scroll in villages at the household’s doorsteps. Actually, they are bards and for the sake of their livelihoods they wander the village to villages. The performance of scrolls in numerous sequences are juxtaposed on a long scroll surface either as episode of a tale, or as a sequence of event development through time. Stories are composed into the narratives from myths, epics, history or legends, regional folk tales, applied folklore, and contemporary incidents such as 9/11, HIV/AIDS, Nirbhaya rape. Pat Chitra performance spread around the country as a ritual performance slowly, in Bengal province it has taken a turn towards educative and entertainment value.