Chitpur Local was initiated in November 2013, at Chitpur Road around the historic Oriental Seminary School. Chitpur is one of Kolkata's oldest neighbourhoods, and the hub of Jatra, printmaking, publishing, jewellery making and several other cultural traditions. This project brings together a collective of artists, local students, teachers, residents and shop owners who aim to reactivate the heritage spaces of this locality.
March 2015 culminates the first phase of this project with a grand celebration, made possible by the generous support of India Foundation for the Arts. This celebration will feature public art projects at diverse historic sites in the locality, developed in collaboration with the local community, that showcase the cultural heritage of Chitpur. It also features films, walks, games, addas and performances curated by partner organisations who have come together to celebrate Chitpur's wonderful history and build new imaginations for its future!
March 2015 culminates the first phase of this project with a grand celebration, made possible by the generous support of India Foundation for the Arts. This celebration will feature public art projects at diverse historic sites in the locality, developed in collaboration with the local community, that showcase the cultural heritage of Chitpur. It also features films, walks, games, addas and performances curated by partner organisations who have come together to celebrate Chitpur's wonderful history and build new imaginations for its future!
Featured events
Heritage Photowalks with Calcutta Walks
Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21, 7:00 am- 10:00am Calcutta Walks takes you through six different routes over the two days of the event. You are welcome to bring along your camera, or just join the exploration. Please register by sending an email to [email protected] Jatra Unplugged! Saturday, March 21, 6:00 pm M.A.D. (Mad about Drama) present a performance inspired by Jatra. Working with Israfil Sheikh, a third generation local Jatra makeup artist and the students of Class 7, they bring Jatra characters alive on the streets of Chitpur! |
Time Travelling through Chitpur
Friday, March 20, 6:30 pm The Centre for Studies in Social Sciences presents an adda, that transports us to the gullys around Chitpur in the 19th and 20th Century. Through archival images, stories and verse, Indira Biswas and Rajat Kanti Sur narrate a series of encounters with sawng, charak, Battala book shops, and the music of baijis like Indubala and Angurbala, as we relive the popular street cultures of Chitpur. Akhrai- Songs of Old Kolkata at the historic Chaitanya Library, Open air Film Screenings with films on Jatra, Tawayef, and Chitpur's architecture curated by the Basu Foundation for the Arts, as well as public art projects at various heritage sites, are other events on our program. |