Jadopatia paintings of Dumka
Jamshedpur: His proximity to the folk artists of tribal community, as a forest officer, unknowingly got him engaged in the promotion of the tribal folk paintings but his zeal to preserve one of the primitive art forms propelled him to document the glorious history of the otherwise dying art.
The documentary titled “Vision through Images” which also speaks in details about the measures to be taken to guard the future of these tribal folk paintings, has earned him recognition at the international platform. “I am glad on receiving this honour but this award is also recognition of all the hardships the tribal folk artists are confronting in the contemporary times,” said the conservator of forests, afforestation circle, Kolhan, Sanjeev Kumar, IFS, after his documentary was selected for the special jury award in the AFFMA Film International Documentary and Short Film Festival, 2012.
This short film, directed by the talented Mithun Parmanik, is a follow up of the documentary on the revival of ancient traditional folk painters and their artworks. The film has depicted the work of folk artists from different parts of the state i.e. Jadopatia paintings of Dumka, Wall paintings (Shorai and Khovar) of Hazaribagh and Pytkar paintings of Amadubi, Singhbhum.
The film also covers the work of Patachitra artists of Midnapore, Bengal, where the ancestor of Chitrakar families and the traditions of Amadubi and Dhumka belong.
A Shorai motif
The 40-minute-documentary, shooting of which was largely done at authentic locations, gives an insight into the folk paintings which are on the verge of extinction, artists’ lives and their struggle to save their dying art. The film has explored the village, the background and stylist differences of this artistic genre, its repertoire and painting techniques.
“The conceptual stylization and audio-visual treatment of the film have three different approaches, which are thematic, technical and aesthetic, the three purposefully interacting with one another,” said Kumar who has earned two successive Livelihood awards from state industry department in 2009 and 2010 for the promotion of the art of developing Tasar silk among the tribal people. The award will be given to the documentary producing team at a glittering function in Kerala in the first week of September.
[Courtesy: The Times of India]