Krishnanagar 1st april 2013

GHURNI: Putul gali - Putulpatti

Ghurni is a neighbourhood of Krishnanagar in Nadia district. 

From Calcutta if you take a Train, broad gauge, basically from shealdah station you will reach by 2 hours 22min and may be plus 30 more min if delayed. but if you take the road (car - taxi) minimum 3 hours 30min and then plus ++ .... 

We (Ranu Ghosh calcutta based cinematographer & me) went by road in her car, hired a driver who was ok with me while going but ranu was very irritated by his rash driving and while coming back it was opp i was fuming.

you will always be in a 'bruhm'(false illusion) we will touch the highway NH34, so we can escape the village traffic - we dont need to be carefull about old young women/ man -children, goats, cows, dogs, tractors, vegetable vendors -police van - VIP cars with red light blinking with the irritating sound which you get confused is it an ambulance or police or VIP zooming pass you. why dont they have different sounds for different vehicle. After you get used to the crossing activities and children playing on the street you start looking for proper signs for krshnanagar - sometimes you guess and sometimes you ask and go ahead. Another major thing you would like to avoid is the potholes and thin narrow roads looks more like a street or a one lane but it is a two way lane. the bumpy ride makes you feel hungry and want to have a cup of tea everytime you notice one tea stall. 

The only pleasure is looking at the landscape which is amazing - the colours are really fresh and pure. few places you will find the mud red but it isnt as red as we have it in Bhirbhum district. 

when you reach your destination and wonder where did we miss the turn to the highway - someone informs you the road we came by is the highway. :-) 

Tarit paul & family - the only family who have got national award - two brothers in a row. all have the surname Paul
the 6inch hieght mud putuls are the identity of garni toy village. 600 families still working. looking at their skill i wish they could have been my teacher.

Cobbler

 

Basket weaver

 

 

Dhol player

 

Baul

 

Purohit

 

Vivekananda and other national leaders: hope you can identify all. 

Asit pals studio

 (Jyoti) Basuda + Mamatadi + Pehelwandada and Gandhiji

Background: fancy car and Christ,

Mamatadi standing beside Basuda and doing 

namashkar to Phather of nation

Didi might say: Dont angry me, 

why basuda standing on my right not left- he too got scared of me. dol badla badle cholbe na.

The only place to eat and stay - Traditional Bengali Thali- fantastic place to eat.  i think the name of the restaurant starts from "M" you can stay there simple rooms:
200rs single and 300rs double. 

Making of Chaitanya

 Artist studios -few amended ones as artist have left and gone to calcutta and settled. few couldn't manage building the whole studio so work in the under construction space. mostly large national leaders

they are famous for clay toys and national leaders - presently making in clay is too expensive: bringing clay from river belt -- then dry them and fire them and then colour them -- the production cost is too high to sell them in a low cost. so cheaper way is to make a mould and use plaster and paint them. the cost starts from rs 20 to rs 3000. by order they still do it in clay.