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synopsis

Panchmura

In India ritualistic demands of the village folk inspire the artisans to create. The practice of offering terracotta figurines to local Gods is immensely popular both among the Tribal and Castes Hindus of the Radh Region of Bengal that lay between the Chotonagpur plateau in the West and the Gangetic basin in the East of Indian peninsula. Then artisans of Panchmura village (District: Bankura, West Bengal) situated in the Central Radh region, make terracotta figurines of the Snake Goddess and Horses of different heights to cater to such votive needs.

Considering the virile folk nature and aesthetic quality of the Craft, the Central Cottage Industry of India, a Government of sponsored promotional organisation for various crafts, has taken up the motif of the Panchmura Horse as its logo. From times immemorial the Panchmura artisans have been collecting all the ingredients of their craft from the Mother nature. Now with the increase in population coupled with the advent of modernisation the ecological set up in and around Panchmura village is fast changing and the artisans are in trouble.

The present film is a document on the techno-culture and ecological aspects of this traditional craft and humane angle of the problems involved.

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film details

Name of the Film:
Panchmura
Director:
Mrinal Gupta
Production Company:
Aurora Film Corporation P. Ltd.
Release Date:
January 31, 1998