52 year old Falguni Sutradhar of Chorida village in Purulia has been making Chho masks since he was a lad of 7 or 8, assisting his father and uncles. Chho mask making has been a traditional occupation for his family for seven generations. The family title was initially Mistri, but from about his father Chhutulal’s time, that is, over 50 years ago, the surname Sutradhar, indicative of their traditional occupation and caste-guild, was adopted. Falguni’s grandfather was a master craftsman, Srishtidhar Mistri.

Falguni, who attended school till the eight grade, used his natural skills to pay for his school books. He would, with the consent of his principal, conduct workshops after class. This would pay for his tuition (of Rs 3.50) and his text books.  Since his school did not offer classes beyond grade 8, Falguni did not attempt to study further and settled into his family`s traditional occupation instead.

 

The women of the house during his father’s time had no role to play in the craft, but Falguni, who considers himself to be the spokesperson for his artisan village, claims that every girl/woman of an artisan’s family today, is involved in the craft – mastering the technique and lending an able hand. This includes girls from other communities who come in as brides. This trend began thanks to Falguni’s own initiative. With support from the government, he began training the women in his village some seven or eight years ago. In particular, and breaking away from tradition, he taught them how to cast masks from plaster-of-paris moulds that he had created. This made their task much easier. 

As a result of his initiative, there is no dearth of skilled hands when demand is high. The women also take care of the production line when the men are away creating idols for worship during the puja season. Most male mask makers, including Falguni leave Chorida during the puja season and set up base in other parts of West Bengal or Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar or even Uttar Pradesh. They will spend a few months here, catering to puja orders. 

Falguni’s idea of using moulds started a new trend. Whereas previously it would take an artisan along with two assistants an entire week to create 5 masks from scratch, using paper, cloth and clay, the use of moulds enhanced productivity. A single mould would yield 20 identical masks in next to no time. As a result of this, production shot up to 300-400 masks in each family each month.  Coinciding with greater demand through more aggressive promotion by some NGOs and the state government, it was a win-win situation. 

Plastic ornamentation on masks began in the early sixties. Falguni related a fascinating story with respect to its beginnings. Sometime in 1961 (I used this year, because you were in Purulia then - falguni does not remember the year), a much-hyped competition was to take place at Pathordih, 5km away from Chorida, between the two Chho Nach giants, Jaguru Mahato and Gambhir Singh Mura. The prize was to be 2 goats. Accompanying Gambhir Singh and his group, as they walked along, carrying their masks, were Falguni and a young researcher, Roma Chatterji. Both Gambhir Singh and Jaguru had ordered special masks for themselves for this face-off. The masks were to be a secret – and the respective artisans strictly instructed not to reveal them.

  

A 20000 strong crowd thronged the venue, eagerly awaiting the competition. Jaguru renowned for his performance of the Ashta Sakhi Gayasur Badh took the stage first and dazzled the audience. The entire Mahato clan present, hell bent on a victory against Gambhir Singh, roared exultantly. Now Gambhir Singh had 2 students, Bhupi Singh and Hirak Singh, who were already acclaimed dancers in their own right. Fearful of their revered master losing against Jaguru, the two loyal students had hatched a plan well in advance. Soon after Jaguru completed his performance, the two went on stage announcing a grand spectacle that would last for 8 hours. Dressed in identical clothes and wearing mammoth masks grandly adorned with plastic embellishments, they lit up the space to the rhythm of throbbing drums, shehnai and Jhumurgaan.  Raising a cloud of dust with their lightning moves, they danced as one, performing the Kharasur Badh. Never before was such a spectacular performance witnessed! As dawn broke and the performance ended, there was no doubt as to who the victors were and the triumphant group marched back home with two goats in tow. 

Like all traditional artists, Falguni has taught his sons the craft and they have been assisting him since they were seven. He is utilizing this period of Covid lockdown to enhance the skills of all the boys in the family - his son and his nephews, since schools and colleges are shut. (Falguni lives in a joint family with his brothers and their families). In addition to learning how to create the numerous traditional and contemporary forms, Falguni feels it is important to be familiar with the raw material as well, especially the clay. Being in the midst of the action, the children learn very quickly, and are inspired to try out and master the skills as early as possible, under the guidance of the elders. There is nothing more exciting for them than to be able to sell a mask. This inspires them to delve further into their tradition. However, it takes about 8 years to completely master the skills required for Chho mask making. 

While the market for Chho masks has vastly improved and spread to foreign shores as well (until Covid hit, that is), this was not the case a decade ago. When Falguni was much younger, the artisans in his village would be compelled to market their goods themselves. They would set out by bus in the morning and return late in the evening after having made a few sales in villages around Chorida. Small masks had not yet become popular – in demand at the time were papier mache figurines of peacocks, deer, tigers and so on, sold at anything between Rs 40 to Rs 100 for a pair. These were used as wall décor. These figurines are no longer made, and in fact are treated with disdain, being a reminder of their impoverished past. 

But with the enhancement of the market, came its downside,  Falguni laments. With most of the younger artisans and the women having switched to masks from moulds, the art of making the chho mask in the traditional manner will gradually be forgotten, unless families ensure that the original technique is also handed down. 

Falguni and members of his family are the proud recipients of numerous awards at the district and state levels. Other than making masks and idols for worship, Falguni has a performance troupe too. Every chho mask maker knows how to dance – but not everybody performs. 

Falguni has travelled across the length and breadth of India, showcasing his masks and holding workshops. He has also travelled to Norway, courtesy banglanatak.com, where he workshopped with students. 

Thanks to all the active promotion and the huge support from the govt that has taken place since 2011, he and his extended family are now much better off financially. Artisans of the village now have the means to stock their goods and sell through the year. Ten years ago, the story was very different.