Some scenic forty-five minutes from fishy holy Puri leads you beyond the age
To the southern banks of river Bhargavi, this coconut-palm shaded village.
An idyllic setting among groves of coconut, palm laced with betel vines,
The narrow village wrinkled like the vocally dumb faces of ninety to nines.
In the flickering dark the sooty corner of the open rooms with pale smile
‘ll welcome you, the babu as you are sanctifying with along their exhausted will.
Like swarm they’ll gather around you, inviting you and you play to be cerebral.
And abruptly your ego will go thump thump as like curious cat you will notice some
‘Padmashree, Padmabibhushan’-almost at every door the lotus titles come.
Welcome to Raghurajpur, the hamlet, the abode of Hamlets, the last knights Art.
The oil lamp consuming hours and men beg for a glance as you are the first.
A sympathetic step into his ‘studio’ displaying Pattachitra, chitrakars and carvings
Proudly pathetically they like setting sun with subdued honour will display their belongings.
Time will stop and they will show how to weave in hands with colour and carve
Take a snap just, if not buy, show to your pals and skill and coconut they will serve.
Some hundred adept craft huts and not a buyer nearby, no worm hand of admiration.
Bona fide art is ever stoic and they go on maintaining their mural painting tradition.
The clock tickles leaving the parish in dark, overstrained to Puri with a sigh you start
And the last tattered panorama is awaiting still, boasting of shame and disgrace smart.
The man on whose step our country dances, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, looking at
Through the phenomenal pose and postures from a ruined chalet residing in abode of rats.
A patched scribble will be kindly inform you he was born to revolutionize the century
The palm leaf engravings and carvings are bought cheap at bulk by arid hands for Puri.
Note: Raghurajpur is a heritage crafts village on Odisha state, 10 kms from Puri and 55 kms from the state capital Bhubaneshwar.There are about a 100 houses in the village and almost everyone is an artisan. They are Pattachitra painters, an art form which dates back to 5 BC. They also make traditional masks, stone idols, paper mache, sculptures, wooden toys.
Most of these artists have also won National Awards for their exceptional work.Can we not extend a day of Puri vacation and come here and help them by giving much-needed publicity if not buy at all? I know if you come here, you will feel the same.
(All pictures are snapped by Avik Kumar Maiti)
Avik Kumar Maiti: ( email - itzakm@gmail.com) He is a poet and writer from Midnapore. He is a permanent ESL teacher at Belda Gangadhar Academy, West Bengal. He likes to travel, explore the locale with cultures, to drink life to the lees', passion in humanity and drenched in literature. He believes that God is there and one day everything will be fine again. He believes in the flame eternal that is within us, which may cause a miracle with just a sympathetic touch.