We are happy to announce that the Special Issue of the Chitrolekha Magazine on the Arts and Crafts of Bankura is online. The issue was conceived of as a project of capturing some glimpses of the glorious artistic traditions of the sacred land—where many cultural cross-currents met and gave birth to its unique visual art forms. We also wanted to make use of the digital medium to reach global readership. Primarily we were concerned with unearthing some of their interesting histories and appreciating their aesthetic appeal. But then we had to have a painful look at their sad neglected condition at present. And many angry sighs came out of the realization that we have neglected our own heritage and collectively ensured their passage to museums.
We had posted an open call for writings on the web and we got good responses from people belonging to various professions—scientist, engineer, architect, designer, teachers, researchers, freelancers. Again, many organizations and people encouraged us and helped us with images. Finally the artisans gladly allowed us interviews and helped with images. This multidisciplinary nature of the publication has helped us to approach the areas in a holistic fashion. We thank them sincerely for their contribution, cooperation and help. Finally we look forward to the readers’ feedback on how to continue our works better in future.
