A new book brings short histories of Phad, Kalighat, and other iconic Indian folk art styles

Scroll.in

15-07-2025

Phad
Born in Shahpura, Rajasthan, Phad is a scroll art form originally practised by members of the Chhipa caste. These paintings served as visual aids for the bhopas and bhopis, priest-singers of the Rabari tribe who narrated tales through song and dance. Travelling from village to village, they performed at night, illuminating sections of phad scrolls to ensure continuity and maintain the audience's focus. The name phad means 'to unroll' in the local dialect.
Ranging anywhere between five to thirty feet in length, preparing a phad scroll is a massive undertaking. Coarse cotton or khadi is soaked in water overnight and then primed with a mixture of flour and gum to strengthen its fibres. The prepared fabric is polished with stone, which further ensures the longevity of the artwork. Naturally occurring pigments are combined with kheriya gond, a local gum, to produce rich and long-lasting shades of orange and yellow, blue and green. The illustrations – densely packed and boldly coloured – are outlined with black ink, kala or siyahi, as a final touch.
Phad scrolls traditionally depicted the exploits of local heroes, chief among them being the folk deities Pabuji (Pabuji Ki Phad) and Devnarayan (Devnarayan Ki Phad). Over time, the form has adapted to include episodes from Rajasthani history and Hindu scriptures. When a phad painting begins decomposing, it is ritually immersed in Pushkar Lake.
The decline of bhopa ballads, along with financial and time constraints, led to a reduced appetite for phad. In response, modern-day artisans have adopted innovations such painting episodes rather than entire stories on smaller canvases. Shahpura's Joshi family, who have practised phad for generations, have been at the forefront of efforts to preserve it. Padma Shri Shree Lal Joshi established the Joshi Kala Kendra in 1960, where artists could study phad regardless of their background. Today, the institute is thriving under the name Chitrashala and phad artwork decorates the Indian prime minister's office.
Kalighat
Kalighat painting originated in the 19th-century Calcutta, West Bengal. The history of this art form is closely tied to the Kalighat Temple, located on the banks of the Hooghly River. Hordes of locals, pilgrims and curious European visitors were drawn to this tourist location, giving migrant artisans and craftsmen from across the country a lucrative opportunity to sell souvenirs. These included patuas, members of an artisan community from West Bengal, who began to use cheap materials to maximise their output and cater to the growing demands of pilgrims and tourists visiting the temple. The patuas traditionally painted long narrative stories, better classified as Kalighat Patachitra, which often ran over 20 feet in length. However, given the need to work quickly and stand out amidst other competing artisans near the temple, they abandoned their elaborate narrative style to create standalone pictures with only one or two figures. They gained immense popularity for their simplicity, portability and affordability, especially among the voyaging European tourists who were on the lookout for 'exotic' artwork to take home to friends and family with ease.
The artists used inexpensive materials, such as mill paper, and watercolours – either made from natural materials or brought in readymade from Britain – to paint the elements in the foreground while the background remained plain. For drawing the outlines, brushes made from squirrel or goat hair were used. Initially, the motifs used were predominantly religious, depicting the chief temple deity, Goddess Kali, along with other mythological figures. Over time, however, colonial influence in urban Calcutta led to a shift in themes represented by Kalighat painters. They began using their medium for satirical commentary on societal changes, ridiculing the lifestyle of Englishmen, and for depicting their own everyday experiences – complete with evolving technologies and lifestyles. The Kalighat movement was transient and the artworks notoriously hard to preserve, owing to the low-quality materials that were used to create them. The practice began to die out during the early twentieth century after cheaper, commercially produced images gained favour over hand-painted ones, pushing the patuas back into the rural districts, bereft of employment.