Folk, Traditional Art and Crafts of Jharkhand

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The state of Jharkhand represents mesmerizing serenity and rich in natural resources. Besides non tribes the land is inhabited by 32 tribes: Among the tribes, Mundas, Ganjus, Santhals and Orgons are the main tribal groups. They have rich, art and cultural heritage. The present book Folk. Traditional Art and Crafts of Jharkhand by Ujjal Ghosh offers trajts of a variety of folk, traditional art and crafts tradition which are performed on various social, religious and festivals occasion.

The folk art is mentioned as a unique aesthetics of art which can be classified into tribal and non-tribal art but non-tribal art is hardly different to the tribal art. A wide range of paintings namely Sahrai, Kohbar, Likhna, Santhali, Jadopatiya and Pyatkaris well practiced. They are well discussed along with their technical aspect. Tattoos are well known as a folk art form. This is performed by a skilled person. The work of painting on the body is called as Godna. It conveys as adoration of beauty affection for nature, family, society" and a characteristic custom. The preparation of colour and technique of the Godho are mentioned in this text.

The traditional crafts are well highlighted in this study. Besides, Metal Crafts, Papier Mache, Terracotta, Wood Crafts and Bamboo Crafts are nicely discussed. The Ornaments and textiles are the glory of the people of Jharkhand which this text mentions in detail.

All the above-mentioned art and crafts form are supported by illustrations. This text contains a total of 175 illustrations. Discussion, conclusion and detailed bibliography are also presented in this text.

Ujjal Ghosh is a well-known artist and painter of Jharkhand. He has participated over 50 art camps of national and international repute. Besides, he has organised more than dozen exhibitions in the different parts of India such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Allahabad, Ranchi, Patna, Ujjain, Gwalior, Hazaribagh, Deoghar and Jamshedpur.

To his credit are two books and a number of research papers on the Art of Bihar and Jharkhand. Having passion in art history, in 1995, he has discovered the sword of Emperor Ashoka on the banks of river Eve in Odisha. Historians opine that it may be used by Emperor Ashoka during the war of Kalinga. Mr. Ghosh has also discovered three Buddhist Chaityas and Viharas on the top of the Mahudi hills in Barkagaon, cave dweller's prehistoric paintings of Neolithic period and two stone Megaliths circle near Giddhaur, in Chatra district of Jharkhand. His another discovery was at Ichak of a stone Shiva-Parwati statue, in natural human post of Kushana period.

With these attributes of his persona, he have been offered awards namely 'Rashtriya Sadbhawana Puraskar', 'Kala Samudra Samman', 'Kala Guru Bateshwarnath Srivastava Smriti Samman', 'Lifetime Achievement Award' and likewise. At present, Ujjal Ghosh is a director, Upendra Maharathi School of Painting and Secretary, Shilalekh-Jharkhand and Shilp kala Parishad in the district of Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.

Folk art of Jharkhand reflects the inhibiting communities, their age old traditions and beliefs. If one is to gain the true understanding of the social groups. it becomes utmost importance to carry out and document the whole arena of their cultural practices, their traditional outcomes and their day to day sustenance of life.

The State of Jharkhand is reverent to 32 indigenous tribes who have considered the state as their home from times which cannot be truly traced in numerical figures. However, I consider myself to be fortunate enough seeing and documenting the traditional and folk art forms of Jharkhand for around 20 years. Herein, I have tried to sincerely document the traditional and folk art of Jharkhand, without making the facts to be allied with my own thoughts in any way.

The true situation today is saddening, for these traditional outcomes of the laborious artisans, still remains shrouded in the mists of scattered documents and unpreserved work. But still, it is a glorious fact that many veterans have worked on the traditional people and their art in Jharkhand. For complete knowledge, we need to study, visualize, document and order the creative outcomes and the artisans' live, by sincere efforts, contemplating the works of the eminent workers in the field and our own observations. This book has been prepared with the aim of providing information about the salient features of various forms of Traditional Art and Crafts of Jharkhand. This fascinating subject is a vast one not easily to be compressed into a few pages, so I have tried herein to present the subject in the following pages of work.

I consider it a great privilege and indeed overwhelming to be asked to write the foreword of an inimitable research book by a distinguished artist and scholar. Mr. Ujjal Ghosh. whose diversity too is no lesser than the heterogeneity of the art forms of the art rich state of Jharkhand I have been fascinated by the paintings of Mr. Ghosh since the formation of IGNCA Regional Centre, Ranchi. He is truly a rare type and his love of art is something enviable. His paintings have brought fame both to him and his state. This exceedingly researched book of the various art forms of Jharkhand seems to be the fruit of his deep and single minded study of the art and crafts of Jharkhand.

Art forms on any surface are more than just creations to satisfy our mundane day to day requirements. It is an expression of humankind's cultural, spiritual and social existence and evolution hence required to be chronicled. Jharkhand's profuse diversity of the multifarious art forms once reigned supreme in the region Be it the splendid Dokra metal works of the Malhars or the fascinating Papier-mache masks of South Jharkhand or the magnificent Sohrai and Kohbar paintings of North Jharkhand.

The book is one such venture in the direction of documenting the possible art forms of the state in the correct perspective. I have no doubt that this book will be received as an acquisition by the readers as it suffuses the art and craft of the diligent tribes of Jharkhand. The unalloyed work on the different artistic panorama of the state would infuse understanding to those new to the grace of traditional art of the state and prove itself to be absorbing for further research in the field.

Jharkahnd is a state of Eastern India. It is situated at 20°45'N, 85° 30° E. The word Jharkhand is the composition of two words "Jhar" means "bush' and "Khand" means land. Thus "Jharkhand" means 'land of bush or forest'. It is a land of the people speaking various Indo Aryan languages. The state shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Chattisgarh to the west, Odisha to the south and West Bengal to the east. It contains 40 per cent mineral resources of India.

Jharkhand has a mesmerizing serenity. The name Jharkhand itself concords its natural embellishments. The rivers, valleys, streams, forests and picturesque landscapes appear as dynamic impulses, scattered to occupy the whole. Timber, bamboo, sabai grass, lac, medicinal herbs, flowers and fruits are the important giveaways of these extensive forests. Moreover, the wide variety of wildlife can never be overlooked. Rich in natural and mineral wealth, the state takes a share of 79,714 sq. kilometres. The timeless cultures of tribal and folk mansions of Jharkhand still persist in its different natural petals. It has a unique collaboration of natural beauty and cultural traditions. The unique character of the state is the presence of different aboriginal tribes, in an allied environment with the non-tribals ironically dwelling in the newest state since the very ancient times. We are herein to begin the new journey towards tribals as well as the non- tribals and their art.