Paintings on display at the Udyog Mela in Ranchi. Picture by Manik Bose

Ranchi, Nov. 24: They stand testimony to an older India, one that was less technical and more organic, less industrial, but every inch more rich and colourful.

Kiosks dealing with Pyatkar and Madhubani paintings at the Jharkhand Industry Fair, organised by the Jharkhand Small Industries Association at Morabadi grounds, do look incongruous next to the stainless steel wares and hi-tech machines.

But, they are a welcome change for art aficionados dragged to the trade fair by their technical buddies.

Clad in his traditional dhoti-kurta, kiosk manager and painter Anil Chaitrakar, 50, stands out just as much among all the suit and tie-clad salespersons.

He conceded that though visitors were sparing a second glance at the kiosk and its contents, but there are very few takers for the painting.

“Visitors have been asking questions about this form. It seems that people from Jharkhand are not aware of one of the oldest form of art offered by their state. Pyatkar painters consider themselves as blessed, as they are associated with the form, but visitors only seem to be noticing the price,” Chaitrakar said.

His kiosk has 100-odd paintings based on tribal themes such as dance, lifestyle, hadia sellers and drinkers and children with mothers, along with traditional Hindu icons such as Krishna and Kali.

The prices of the paintings range anywhere between Rs 40 and Rs 2,500.

“We extract colours from natural sources such as leaves, soil and rocks. I don’t understand why customers have been complaining about the items being expensive, as they are difficult to make and is a part of the state and tribal history. When you buy a Pyatkar painting, you buy a piece of history,” Chaitrakar explained. Each painting takes days to complete, and the bigger ones — months.

“We have managed to sell some. But, people are preferring those items that are priced below Rs 50. Anything above it, is being considered as ‘expensive’,” he complained.

The painter whose family has been traditionally engaged in the Pyatkar form revealed that some 40-45 families at his village depend on the form for their survival.

“We take it (Pyatkar) seriously, so we loan money from Nabard to purchase raw material to continue with the traditional form. Most of us have a lot at stake when we come to such fairs,” he said.

Meanwhile, the sale scene is not very different at the kiosk selling Madhubani paintings, either.

Madhubani, now falling in neighbouring Bihar, is an area where most of families have been engaged in the art and painting form for generations.

Santosh Jha, the proprietor of Heena Seva Sadan Sansthan, a kiosk, agreed with Chaitrakar and said that though the two “different” kiosks have generated interest, the sales have been less than impressive.

“At the fair visitors are crying over the cost of the paintings, but the art form requires hard work. In Jharkhand, which is closer home, there has been a lukewarm response to the Madhubani, while we received an overwhelming response in Delhi Haat (New Delhi) where art lovers, both from India and abroad, loved our work.”

The Madhubani paintings range from Rs 50 to Rs 3,250 and are chiefly based on religious themes and scenes from the Ramayan and Mahabharat.

“So far we have just sold paintings worth Rs 2,000. But then there are three more days left. So let’s hope that those days would be luckier for us,” Jha said.