Watch clay dolls tell folklore stories of Sunderbans at this venue in Andheri

The hinterlands of India are a treasure trove of craft and stories and West Bengal is no exception In the Sunderbans shrouded in mystery and folklore stories of Bonbibi mdash the guardian spirit of the forests revered by all its inhabitants irrespective of their religious beliefs are told and passed on from one generation to another The artists who reside in this forest make mud and clay dolls that tell traditional stories of Bonbibi and contemporary stories of life as they see around them Tram Arts Trustrsquos play Maati Katha directed by Choiti Ghosh and Mohammad Shameem brings these stories to life using the unique dolls created by local artists from the SunderbansMohammad Shameem performs left Choiti Ghosh with the traditional dollsldquoLife in the Sunderbans has always been difficult The struggle between land and water forest and field domestic and wild human and nonhuman has always existed As each stakes their claim on the other and encroaches upon the otherrsquos space survival here is possible only through stories and beliefsrdquo says Ghosh ldquoIt is an unusual place Nothing in Sunderbans can be called traditional because of its history of waves of migration The people and the arts of Sunderbans are quite marginalised the flora and fauna having gotten more attention than themrdquo she explainsAhladAhladi Putul of the Joynagar Majilpur traditionThe play had a digital premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August last year It draws inspiration from Bonbibi Jatrapala mdash a dramatic performance tradition connected with the worship of the cult goddess Bonbibi and music traditions like Bhatiyali a river folk song sung by boatmen Baul folk music of mystics and Jhumur tribal music from Western frontiers of Bengal like Purulia Bankura Bardhaman Birbhum and West Medinipur Ghosh had read about the doll makers of Sunderbans that became the roadmap for the play ldquoWhen we reached the village they said we donrsquot make the dolls anymore because they donrsquot sell are easily breakable and canrsquot compete with plastic toys However the villagers agreed to make them on order 30 were made after I requested them to make one each of every type of doll that they had ever craftedrdquo she saysGhar nara buro headbobbing old man of the Jhulan Putul tradition by Arati Pal of NimtaGhosh a puppeteer who studied Object Theatre in France was keen to present it in an Indian context A gift of 250yearold dolls from her aunt which had been part of the family heirloom sparked her interest in the doll arts of West Bengal The plays came to life as part of a threeyear ongoing ethnographic project that researches traditional and contemporary dollmaking practices in the state and is narrated in English and Hindi by Ghosh and Shameem The songs are in Bengali but translated handouts are given for the Bangla sections The 65minutelong play explores the history of oral traditions myths folklore and the linkages of tangible and intangible heritage conservation to rural Bengalrsquos dollmaking practicesThe performance will be accompanied by an exhibition that offers a glimpse into West Bengalrsquos continuing doll traditions their rich stories and artists many of whom are struggling to keep their arts and their livelihoods alive ldquoBengal has many doll villages including Panchmura Natungram and Kanthalia While 28 forms of doll art are supported by the state government over 50 forms existrdquo she addsShoshthi PutulThe exhibition will see works from different artists including a 74yearold dollmaker in Kanthalia who is the last practising artist of a particular form which is about 1600 years old ldquoIn the 1980s when the West Bengal government and Archaeological Survey of India ASI began excavations in Karnasubarna two kilometres from this village because it was the capital of the kingdom of Raja Sasanku they found terracotta dolls that were exactly like the dolls that the village artists make at home todayrdquo reveals GhoshldquoWe met a fourthgeneration doll artist who was dissatisfied with the traditional way in which the dollrsquos eyes are made He has made about 250 varieties of doll eyes and is somewhat satisfied with his most recent creation In another tradition from Mojilpur an eighthgeneration artist of his tradition knows that his daughter who is currently four years old will be the first woman in the ninth generation after only male artists in all the previous generations in that traditionrdquo adds GhoshOn January 11 to 14At Harkat Studios Aram Nagar part 2 Versova Andheri WestLog on to insiderin for tickets and time slotsEntry Rs 500 performance and exhibition Rs 100 only exhibition