Bengal: Digital prints dim the colours of a dying art, Ghurni's forgotten artist keeps a fading tradition alive

By Biswabrata Goswami Krishnagar, Oct 13 (UNI) At 80, Reba Pal continues to paint traditional Durga chalchitras in a modest, timeworn abode in Ghurni's potters' colony in Krishnagar, striving to preserve Bengal's fading artistic heritage amid the growing dominance of digital prints. For nearly five decades, Pal has been associated with the intricate art of painting chalchitra, the decorative backdrop framing the Durga idol. She learnt the craft while assisting her husband, Shasthi Pal, and took up the work independently after his death about 22 years ago. Her delicate brushstrokes have travelled far beyond her small home. She once supplied…