Lord Ganesha, the Hindu God of Success........ The Chhau Mask of Charida
Final decoration of the Chhau mask of Lord Ganesha, a prominent character from the Indian mythology........ in a workshop at Charida!
Charida............One of the last hamlets of the finest Chhau mask-makers
Charida, the village that provides some of the best masks, is near Baghmundi block of Purulia district. Around 250 artisans from 60-70 families, mostly belong to the Sutradhar clan, are engaged in making these extraordinarily beautiful masks for generations. The mask-maker needs extremely high artistic perfection and the detailed knowledge of the epic and mythology is also essential to express the shade of a particular character.
The artisans of Charida normally have their workshops in their own houses along the main road for direct trade with customers. They are busy round the year and, practically every house and every member of the household is seen occupied in making masks or assembling decorations for headgears. The masks produced from this village cater the needs of Chhau dance groups of entire Medinipur, Purulia and Bankura districts.
Economical Aspect
Besides its importance to culture, Chhau is crucial to the local economy. There is a global audience for this folk art form, and a large number of families earn their livelihood by producing and selling masks and dresses. A full sized decorated mask costs around Rs 3000-Rs 3500 (USD $70). These are not only used for Chhau dance but also for decoration and are popular worldwide as collectibles.
Increasing costs of the raw materials, poor marketing, interfering middleman, lack of any Government intervention are some of the main factors which cut off the profit percentage to make the Chhau mask-makers poorer day by day and also force them to make some other decorative masks which can be used as wall hanging. The workshops are now full of such decorative masks staked together, ready to be marketed along with original Chhau masks.
Beautiful Bengal, India
Lord Ganesha, the Hindu God of Success........ The Chhau Mask of Charida
Final decoration of the Chhau mask of Lord Ganesha, a prominent character from the Indian mythology........ in a workshop at Charida!
Charida............One of the last hamlets of the finest Chhau mask-makers
Charida, the village that provides some of the best masks, is near Baghmundi block of Purulia district. Around 250 artisans from 60-70 families, mostly belong to the Sutradhar clan, are engaged in making these extraordinarily beautiful masks for generations. The mask-maker needs extremely high artistic perfection and the detailed knowledge of the epic and mythology is also essential to express the shade of a particular character.
The artisans of Charida normally have their workshops in their own houses along the main road for direct trade with customers. They are busy round the year and, practically every house and every member of the household is seen occupied in making masks or assembling decorations for headgears. The masks produced from this village cater the needs of Chhau dance groups of entire Medinipur, Purulia and Bankura districts.
Economical Aspect
Besides its importance to culture, Chhau is crucial to the local economy. There is a global audience for this folk art form, and a large number of families earn their livelihood by producing and selling masks and dresses. A full sized decorated mask costs around Rs 3000-Rs 3500 (USD $70). These are not only used for Chhau dance but also for decoration and are popular worldwide as collectibles.
Increasing costs of the raw materials, poor marketing, interfering middleman, lack of any Government intervention are some of the main factors which cut off the profit percentage to make the Chhau mask-makers poorer day by day and also force them to make some other decorative masks which can be used as wall hanging. The workshops are now full of such decorative masks staked together, ready to be marketed along with original Chhau masks.
Beautiful Bengal, India