GuruSaday Dutt's 'Pot Chitra' Collection

Various types of paper pulp masks

GuruSaday Museum in Thakurpukur,Kolkata is actually a paradise of indian folk art,crafts and culture.Where ever GuruSaday Dutt was posted as ICS, he collected the epitomes of the certain area,it could be folk craft or stone sculpture. In Gurusaday Museum these items are displayed,such as 'Dasavatar Tas' (a set of cards named after ten avater of hindu faith) from Bankura, 'Sujani Kantha'(a decorated steatched blanket)  from Jessore.

Various types of 'PotChitra' were collected by him.'Jorano pot',#1.Kalighat Pot#2,Chowka pot#3 are stored in the museum. 'Pot Chitra' was a folk media of communication , it may be called one kind of folk cinema where 'Pot' was displayed in absence of celluloid. Pot is actually a rolled piece of long cloth where the illustration used to painted by a particular community identified as the "Patuya". They painted on the cloth and conveyed the messages of the certain episode or mythological incident with their songs. They sang the song by displaying the piece of painted cloth.
This 'Patuya' community had a huge penetration is order to diffuse information into the mass. Before colonial period the theme of 'PotChitra'merely on political issue, generally 'Pot' was introduced on mythological issue, but in social and political turmoil situation 'Patuyas' started to draw 'Pot' on social issues and social discrimination. Patuyas were the artist and social messenger simultaneously.
Gurusaday Dutt felt it can be a weapon to use in Modern Day Problems. Many Bratachari songs were included from Patuya Songs. How to fight against the 'Yavana' (here British) ? Patuya community composed a fantastic song in the early communal period. With the development of the Bratachari Movement Guru Saday Dutt was influenced by those songs.

A sample of 'Kalighat Pot'

His objective was to uplift and publish our rural heritage and as well as to exhibite the heritage of our dominated tribal groups,for that reason various tribal faith related archaeological items GuruSaday Dutt had collected. He thought that if we really want to 'independent' from Britishers' then we should have to cultivate and preserve our heritages for our future generation, otherwise they may receive a doctored history.His spouse Saroj Nalini Devi influenced him a lot for this mission. After her death Gurusaday Dutt devoted himself for the sake of our cultural heritage laid into our soil.
Gurusaday Dutt was the pioneer in terms of India's folk art and craft collection. He collected many decorated  textiles.   

Notes-

#1 all this 'Potchitra' are rolled and those are created by 19th century artists. This huge collection of 'Jorano pot' cannot be found anywhere. 'Ramana','Mahabharata','Stories of Purana','Krishnaleela','Jagannathleela','Chaitanyaleela','Panchakalyani','Savitri-Satyaban','Gajir pot','Satyapot','yamapot','Boishnab Pot','Adivasi pot' are stored here. Various districts of Undivided Bengal (Murshidabad,Comilla,Bankura,Mednapore,Burdwan) are the sources of these 'Pot' 

#2 'Kalighat Pot' are all collected from Kalighat Kali Temple area,Kolkata,where once a large number of 'Patuya' community lived and made those outsatanding 'Pot's. Mythological incidents and contemporary society are displayed here.

#3'Chouka Pot' were the cultural heritage of 'Rarh' and 'western part of undivided Bengal'.Cultural ethnicity and animals are portaried here.