"Shading light on the artisans of kumartuli" Kumartuli is a place that offers a unique dose of culture. The narrow maze of lanes and alleyways team with humanity, and gods and goddesses of various states of creation. Wandering through them and seeing the artists at work reveals a fascinating world within a world right in front of you. What's pleasant to note is that the idols are made out if environmentally friendly materiel such as bamboo and clays. Most of the clays is brought by boat down the Hooghly river from the nearby village. The artisans start by making a bamboo frame for the idol, called a Latham. They bind straw over it to give it a structure, and then apply clay on it to give its final shape. After drying the statue in the sun for few days, they paint and decorate it. What's particularly interesting is the ritual tradition of obtaining soil from a brothel and mixing it with the clay. It's considered to be punya maati (blessed soil) collected from a nishiddho palli (forbidden territory). Apparently, according to one belief, when a man visits a brothel he leaves his purity and it settles into the soil there. Others say that the soil is used to respect the purity of the prostitutes soul, despite the profession they are engaged in. In patuli, a quintessential Kolkata neighbourhood, a previously non-descriptive wall is now a striking canvas for a looming mural dedicated to the artisans of Kumartuli. Donate a wall campaign Initiated by @startindia in partnership with @asianpaints along with @rohmacrystalart and @chillumink Thank you @hanifkureshi for this opportunity, its an honour working with you. Looking forward to work more on such big walls. Love, light, power to all 🌌 #afzie #artbyafzan #indianartist #streetartist #kolkata #kumartuli #streetart #streetartindia #globalstreetart #mural #muralartist #streetartculture #love #light #power
