Matir Putul :Shrinking World Of Ghurni Clay Dolls

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Ghurni has served as a pillar to the art and cultural firmament of West Bengal. Its matir putuls (clay dolls) are world famous. But the dolls are losing sheen and traditional artisans being relegated to history.

These dolls are just two or three inches in height but narrate a story or depict vignettes of rural life — women cutting vegetables, musicians playing the ektara, Santhals (tribal people) dancing with dolls, priests offering prayers, beautifully dressed brides and grooms, animals, insects and birds
Matir putuls’ (clay dolls) of Ghurni dates back to the reign of Maharaja Krishnachandra (1710-1783), but has also kept up with the present times to feature cricketers, movie stars and popular comic strip characters.

Myths and Legends

According to myths and traditions, clay art was originated from the Potter. Potter is the synonym of ‘Prajapati’ and is also revered as Lord Brahma, the creator, created human beings from clay.
According to mythology, when Lord Shiva came to marry Sati, the need for an earthen pot was required. So Lord Shiva took two beads from his necklace and gave birth to male and female forms who are the first moulder of “Kumbha”. So the potter is also known as “Kumara”.

Ghurni in Nadia district has always served as a pillar to the art and cultural firmament of West Bengal.
The clay dolls of Krishnanagar have a glorious past, dating back to the reign of Maharaja Krishnachandra (1710-1783), who helped the British East India Company against Siraj ud-Daulah in the Battle of Plassey in 1757.
Maharaja Krishnachandra was a patron of the arts, including literature and music, and supported the production of clay dolls.
In 1728, he brought families of potters from Dhaka and Natore in present-day Bangladesh, and settled them in Ghurni, then a village. Since then, the artisans have been living here and making clay dolls, toys and even sculptures.

Ghurni clay dolls are strikingly real and boast a fine finish. They represent a remarkable breakaway from traditional clay work. Yet, some aspects are rooted in age-old techniques.
Like with traditional work, the doll makers use tiny iron rods to provide the skeletal structure, and then work with delicate tools to craft the clay.
- The dolls are then baked in a kiln, given a final coat of varnish, painted, and then dressed up in fine garments.
- Earlier, the dolls were made from clay sourced from the banks of the river Jalangi. Now, the artisans use soil from agricultural fields, because of restrictions on lifting soil from river banks.

The future doesn’t hold much promise, as the demand for Ghurni dolls has been decreasing every passing day.
The prices of raw material have gone up but the dolls are still being sold at the old price, because people don’t want to pay the right price. The pandemic-induced lockdown has made the situation worse.

Apart from the cheap version of dolls that ruin Ghurni’s reputation, artisans also lay some of the blame on lack of training institutions for the dwindling art form.
There is no museum that can inspire youth. Several appeals have been made to the administration to build an institution dedicated to Ghurni, but nothing has worked out.”

The clay dolls of Krishnanagar generally capture the ordinary Bengali men and women at work.
These dolls showcase a realistic representation of various emotions and objects through the craftsman’s skill and experience.
Anybody who sees these dolls could easily interpret the scenario and feel that the craftsman wants to depict and portray.
The dolls are made with soil from the river Ganga, called “etail,”leftover once the tide recedes.
The clay dolls of Krishnanagar (in Nadia district) are famed for their realistic depiction of everyday village life – fishing, farming, rag picking, basket making, cooking, cleaning and worshipping, among others – and subjects like fruits, vegetables, birds and animals.
They have been a part of the legacy of the native potters for over five generations.

Just like other handicrafts of India, there are several challenges associated with the clay dolls as well which prevent them from achieving the status and recognition they deserve.
In Krishnanagar, out of 100 craftsmen present today, hardly 15-20 could be counted as well flourished.
A large number of craftsmen are still struggling and earn very low income in a month.
This could be one of the major reasons that this craft is slowly dying out. This is mainly due to 3reasons- first, there is high financial instability, second, the sales of these dolls keeps varying throughout the year making it difficult for these craftsmen to receive a constant income, and third, there is a lack of support and recognition.

Question:
Which of the following sites of Indus Valley Civilization, a clay model of plough has been found?