Folk Art of Bangladesh

Folk art is an art of the folk, by the folk and for the folk. In other words, this is an indigenous art practiced by the people for their own consumption and use. This art-effort, as is well known, is one of the oldest practices of men which had its beginning with the dawn of civilization.

In the pre-historic period men were free and independent in their everyday life. In their activities like food gathering, agriculture, childbirth and war, etc, favor of nature was considered as one of the important factors. Since the hoary past art-activity of all kinds centered round the social functions by the ancient people and these grew in a natural environment. In those days various magical arts were evolved in the belief that these might help increase the fertility of the soil and with that end in view they tried to satisfy the gods and goddesses through songs, music and dances. Thus came into being the cultural art activities by men.

In the development of folk-art culture three factors played dominant role. These were: (a) meeting the necessity and economic needs of the individual and social life, (b) expression of religious ideas, or so to say, to make spiritual development and (c) to communicate and develop the sense of aesthetic beauty. These were markedly noticed among the ordinary people of society. But it certainly does not mean that the high-ups in the social strata were totally out of this process and the prevailing social environment. Thus it is evident that all the art activities that evolved earlier and that are still emerging are nothing but folk-art in the real sense of the term.

As in other countries of the world, so in this subcontinent too. the people of rustic, and primitive ideas developed folk-art. Because of this the structure and growth of the folk-art of Bangladesh are filled with pure and simple vigor of the rural Bengali folk. These art efforts are the symbolic representations of hope, aspiration and sense of beauty of the rural folk of Bangladesh. Thus these art activities symbolize the traditional sense of beauty of the rural folks, their aesthetic value and depict the easygoing life in rural Bengal. The only source that was active in gaining more and more health by the people of the remote past was the agricultural activities. In this way the folk-art of Bangladesh began assuming a tangible shape.

Magic and magical art did not play so important a role, as in many other countries, in the development of the traditional folk-art of Bangladesh. It is only in 1871 that E.B. Taylor and others discussed in detail the role of magical art in the growth and development of folk-art. "The theory of survival" of Taylor evoked great sensation and criticism among the scholars of social science and art. From 1894 to 1912. scholars like M.J. Panactencku, H. Hover, and D. Comas and others came forward with their argument of sense of nationalism of the people and emphasis of environment in the growth and development of folk-art. They argued that it was mainly the environment that greatly helped to enrich the traditional folk-art of Bangladesh.

Thus we see that agro-based society and the prevailing religious belief of the people worked as the backdrop of the folk-art activity of our country. As has been stated earlier, our folk-art tradition was the creation of a certain group of people of our society for their own need and recreation. It is true not only in case of folk-art, but also a major part of our traditional culture, which is veritably the reflection of our rural social structure. Hence, it may be concluded that nature played a powerful role, directly or indirectly. in shaping the folk-art tradition of our country.

Bangladesh emerged as an independent and sovereign state only in 1971. The total area of Bangladesh is 143.998 sq kilometers and has a population almost over a hundred and forty million. The majority of people live in villages and the rest in towns and cities. Hilly tribal races represent about a million of this population. Thus the traditional rural and urban life in addition to the tribal life with its characteristics has a variety of mood, temper and sense. The residents of towns and cities enjoy a contemporary life with modern amenities while the tribal folks have their own way of enjoyment detached from the influence of life in the plains. These three different patterns of life taken together have given our art and culture an interesting variety and diversity.

Another factor, most important perhaps, that has influenced the art and culture of this land is the six seasons. The scorching heat of Bengal summer is followed by the turbulent rainy season with incessant torrential rains. The autumn with its pleasant azure sky and moonlit night is followed by the misty late autumn. The winters with its biting chilly wind denude the trees of their sylvan grandeur. The appearance of spring, the king of seasons, the earth wears a very pleasant look. Flowers of different variety and fragrance bloom and the cuckoo's song fills the air thus bringing a total change in nature. These varieties have a profound impact on the minds of the people of Bangladesh. So they are consciously or unconsciously emotional and moody in their nature and temperament and these are very evidently reflected in their activities including art works and culture. The big and broad rivers, evergreen fields and endless blue sky have broadened the mind and outlook of the people.

As is known, from the very dawn of civilization rivers have had a very significant role in the growth and expansion of civilization and culture. Bangladesh with her rivers like the Padma, Meghna. Jamuna, Brahmaputra, Dhalcshwari and Karnaphuli Raimongal is no exception to it. These rivers with their innumerable branches and tributaries are the veritable life centre of Bengali culture and they may be designated as the breeder, preserver and carrier of our indigenous culture and civilization. No doubt, at times these rivers played havoc, yet their influence and impact on our culture and art activities are spectacular. Easy availability of water is a pre-condition of good harvests and other agricultural productions. Abundance water means abundance of food. All the great ancient cultures and civilizations emerged by the riverbanks. Bangladesh is no exception to this pattern. Here too culture and agriculture both had their first start by the riversides.

From the pre-historic period the people of Bangladesh, because of her rivers and fertile land, were dependent on agriculture. These people were basically now Aryans. In the initial stages they set up their habitats either by the river or at hills-tops or on the plateau and from there they began their onward march of civilization. From ethnological point of view these people have been termed proto-Australians. They were the first people of note to arrive with a village-based culture in Bangladesh or for that matter on the whole of the Indian subcontinent. It is generally assumed that they migrated from Australia with the habits and style of life and culture of the Paleolithic Age. Their language was known, as Austric and this was extant in a vast area from Punjab to the Eastern Island in the Pacific. It is now an admitted fact that the Bengali language of today owes to the language of this group of pro-Dravidian people in many respects. Now Bengali language contains many words of Austric origin from these proto-Australians.

Physically these pro-Australians were short in stature having a skull, which was elongated to medium in size. Their nose was broad and flat and their complexion was black. They had curly black hair. In classical Sanskrit literature they have been named as Nishad and described as black colored people with of habits and modes of life. Besides the Indian subcontinent they were thought to be scattered in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Melanesia and Australia.

The influence that these proto-Australians had left on the culture and civilization of our country and people left an indelible mark on the Dravidians. the nomadic Aryans, the Sakas, the Huns, the Greeks, the Pathans, the Mughals. the English and even by the tall and stoutly built fair complexioned Semitic Muslims. The agriculture-based life of the present day society is an obvious inheritance of their ancient past. It is not only in villages; even in the towns and cities all art activities had there beginning centering the agrarian life of Bangladesh. The Bengali word langal (plough), which is used for ploughing lands is derived mainly from the Austric language of the proto-Australoids. Means of livelihood of these ancient people were in a transitional state, from being hunter-gatherers to agriculturists.

Paddy was the main crop of cultivation of these ancient people. This paddy in old times had various names, which are still in use.

The names were Begunbichi Jhingashal. Banksha. Tulashali. Laushali. Bansgaja. Narda. Gurguri. Bansmati. Banskat Biromshal. Durbaz. Bad. Bajols Sukui. Nagi. Balam. Boot. Bootmari. Chiruti. Dahia. Guatufi. Dahari. Dasari. Dagrachal. Gajalia. Guraj. Halni. Makamasi. Nagu. Nasali. Kamani. Suni. Saikoya. Nanha. Jhingeshal. Dal Bhasa, etc. Kalidasa. the great epic poet, has profusely used the word shalidhan in his Raghuvamsa.

Worship of Nava-patrika at the time of Durgapuja and rituals like Navanna. Shavaratsava. Charak. Holi. Pousprvana. Snanyatra. Rathayatra. Jhulanyatrat, Ambuvach and worship of Parnasavari. Janguli. Sitala and Manasa. and the use of banana, banana tree, rice and paddy, betel-nut, coconut, vermilion, ghati or vase, flower, alpana. uludhwani (sound of tongue made by the woman folk on any auspicious occasion), shankhadhvvani (sound of conchshell) cow-dung and panchagavva, etc. are all the traditions that have found their way into the Bengali Hindu society from the proto-Australians. Other rituals of the Bengali society as Atkaure. Suvachani-Vrata. Gaye-Halud (smearing of an yellow colored spice on the body of both the bride and bridegroom on the day before marriage). Gulikhela. Pankhili. Striachar, Scattering of khoi or Laj (a kind of roasted rice), Dadhimangal, and set up of Lakshmi Jhampi are yet other legacies of the proto-Australoid culture that are being used in the Bengali society today. The observance of vratas of various kinds and the use of alpana had their beginning in Bangladesh from the time of the proto-Australians. It is from this tradition that Kumari Vrata. Maghamandal Vrata and Lakshmi vrata are being observed in Bengali Hindu household from the times of antiquity. Based on this agrarian life and society many of the utility objects having art value grew up in villages. These art objects of utility developed to meet the needs of rural agricultural life. Such objects include among other things Mutha. Moi. Dari. Joal, Dao. Tantra. Dhuri. Vish. Faal. Dinghi (small boat). Kachi. Logi. Danrh (oar). Hal. Mastul, Dona. Kerual. Katha. Jhuri. Changari. Tupri, Dhama. Chalna. Karpat (cloth made of jute) and Kambal (wrapper), etc. These are known to be of local origin and are in fact, the continuation of traditional culture of Bengal.

The historic period of Bangladesh witnessed the growth .and development of various religions and religious rites. In due course Buddhism. Brahmanism and Islamic Sufism spread in this country with their respective entity and characteristics. These religions and their ideals had great impact on the rural folk life of Bengal and as a result, our own art-efforts were greatly influenced by these religious phases. These religious beliefs with their own rites and rituals have*certainly broadened the horizon of our cultural environment and out-look, and have made our folk-art more

variegated, rich and fanciful.

The observance of rituals on the opening day of plugging, spreading of seeds, sowing of paddy, harvesting and bringing home the crop etc. are the legacies of the past. The traits of all such performance are still to be found among folks of our rural society. The 8^th century Paharpur temple of Rajshahi(a district) and the 9^lh century Mainamati temple of Comilla (a district) bear ample testimony to the folk-art culture of Bangladesh. Surprisingly enough, earlier examples of what we find in these two temples are very rare. At least three reasons may be attributed to this: (i) lack of proper scientific investigation of the earlier relics, (ii) the vulnerable nature of these art-efforts and (iii) use of ephemeral materials in the construction. These temples are embellished with sculptured terracotta plaques that depict scenes of contemporary life such as. door-keeper with stick in hand, lady with pitcher, woman entering house, cultivator with plough, woman cutting fish, hunter with games, mendicant with bag. beggar and villager with loincloth. These scenes are so vividly depicted that from even a casual observation, one can form an idea of the life and society of those bygone periods.

After the Buddhist and Hindu periods. Bangladesh experienced the advent of a strongly appealing religious force- and that was Islam. No doubt as a religion it appeared iconoclastic, yet it never kept itself away from patronizing art and architecture. The characteristic of Islamic art is decorative. As such, profuse decorations appeared as primary objects. As an iconoclastic religion. Islam never permitted representation of figures and figurines: but instead, it gave emphasis to various decorative motifs, such as. floral, foliated and geometric designs. And this trend in art was a continuous process throughout the whole of the Islamic world. Even in Bangladesh we find the use of motifs and designs of various kinds in the art of weaving, ceramics, and metal works. But in spite of this, the fact was that in Bangladesh this art-effort was never known as a separate entity of Islamic art. Rather, this art tradition lost its own identity in the flow of folk' art tradition of Bangladesh. It is because the people of this country never abandoned their own notion and ideals of folk life. They were always imbued in their art-work by their natural environment and it is this natural environment that stood as an obstacle to the people changing their views and ideals of life. The folk-art of Bengal took its root deep in the soil of this country and always retained its own identity and individuality. So the question of its being influenced by any foreign art tradition does not arise. Of course it is true that folk-art of Bangladesh has. from time to time, received art elements that were foreign and had no connection with this soil. But still it never allowed any element to develop with a separate identity from the traditional art of Bangladesh. This is true in respect of Islamic art also. As we know Islamic art is a blend of Central Asian and Iranian art elements. But when this individualistic art trend of Islam came to Bangladesh, it lost its distinct identity and mingled with the mainstream. It came to be known as folk-art of Bangladesh instead of the well-known Islamic art.

The influence of environment in the growth and development of the structural formation of Bangladeshi folk-art is evident, not to speak of its origin. In Bengali folk-art we find the portrayal of flora and fauna in their vividness that are all around us. Thus the folk-artists of Bengal used ideas for their art expressions from their visual experiences of nature and people.

The motifs and designs that are mentioned earlier have, time and again, found expression in our traditional vratas and alpanas. in wooden and terracotta figures and figurines, in the pates (palates) of the pi,uias (artists) such as. Ilaraparvati pata. CJazirpata. Krishnapata and Ramapata. etc. In household earthen, ware utensils, cane-stools, cane and bamboo works of various kinds, in sewing, in the making of mask, sika. batik work. Lakshmi sara, Manasaghat. Boraghat. Sitlaghat. wooden boxes, door frames, etc. Again we find the portrayal of Sankhalata. Arshilata and Kalmilata in our indigenous mats like Sitalpati. Nakshi Kantha (embroidered quilt) and various vratas of the woman folk. Hven today lotus is used as the principal motif in the making of ornaments. As is known, lotus is abundantly grown in the jheels. beels and tanks of Bangladesh, and as such, it is an easily available flower. It is possibly because of this that the lotus-motif has been used in our folk-art from pre-historic ages. The Buddhist hymn "Om mani padma hum" evidently proves that in Buddhist literature too. lotus, occupied an important position. The Hindu goddess Lakshmi standing on lotus is still an earlier example of the influence of lotus.

Besides the art motifs discussed above, our folk-art contains many geometric designs such as semi-circle, triangle, crossbar, curved line and coordinated circle etc. Our rural artists noticed these forms in the natural surroundings and environment and hence they were able to translate their ideas into practice because of this previous acquaintance. The sun and the moon, which are round in shape, have given our artists the idea of roundness. They formed the idea of triangle from the triangular-shaped tree leaves, semi­circular shape from the rainbow, curved lines from the branches, trunks of trees and waves of the sea and rivers gave these artists the idea of rectangle.

Thus if the motifs, signs and symbols used in the folk-art of Bangladesh is studied carefully it will be evident that the rural environment of Bangladesh has played a very significant role in their origin and development.

It had profoundly influenced the minds of our artists as well. These forms and shapes may have other explanation or other philosophies behind them, but it is true at the same time that any art element or form which had no connection with this soil is totally absent from our folk-art.