Bhadu, The Festival Of Longing

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The Bhadu festival of Bengal is a celebration of love and longing. The life of Bhadu was a strange one. She transitioned swiftly from orphan to the daughter of a mukhya (chief) to a princess - perhaps too swiftly for her own good. She spent the evening of her young life traversing the length and breadth of Kashipur and singing away for her lover, young Anjan, imprisoned by her adoptive father, the King. By the time the King saw reason and released him, she had become one with the ether.

The painting that you see on this page depicts the tribespeople of the region, young men and women, singing the songs of Bhadu. They are dressed in unstitched, homespun sarees and dhotis, teamed with handmade shell jewellery. The unassuming pale brown background brings out the crimson, blue, and yellow pastels sprinkled across the foreground. A number of folk instruments are to be seen in the hands of the singers, as well as local creatures that are made a delicacy out of such as fish and patridge and snake.