Anwar Chitrakar

Āmarā mānaba jāti ēka māẏēra santāna

ō ābāra kē'u bā ābāra hindu halāma,

kē'u bā ābāra musalamāna

ēka māẏēra santāna.

We, men, are children of the same mother

Some become Hindus

Some Muslims

Children of One Mother.

(Excerpts from a local Patua folk song)

Born in 1980, Anwar Chitrakar is a Patua artist with an artistic lineage that stretches back to his father, Amar Chitrakar, who instilled in him the time-honored techniques of the Kalighat art. Bengali Pat paintings come from a unique religious blend where both, Muslim and Hindu artists would paint the image of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Hailing from West Bengal, Anwar is part of a small community of Patuas, village artists who craft vertical scroll paintings. These scrolls depict tales of Indian gods and goddesses, mythological figures, and narratives like those of Krishna and Rama 

Unlike his fellow Patua artists, he embraced painting professionally at the age of twenty, having previously worked as a tailor due to the limited commercial prospects for folk painters. His late start prompted a desire for innovation, leading him to infuse tradition with his sartorial touch He melds natural pigments, such as turmeric and marigold, with modern elements, even signing his artworks—a rarity among Patua artists. Apart from the classic cloth-paper scroll, he has also ventured into contemporary mediums like canvas, British paper, and Italian paper.