Shellac art form

Context: After PM Modi’s response on being gifted a Ganesha made by Brindaban Chanda, the revival began of an art form that was nearly dead due to the lack of artists and patronage.

Shellac art

• It is a dying technique of applying shellac on terracotta.
• Around 1500 A D. the shellac art form entered Bengal from western part of India with the encouragement of Raja Mann Singh.
• Initially, the shellac artisans of Bengal used to cover the terracotta bangles with shellac and sell them at rural fairs. Later, they shifted to covering terracotta dolls with shellac.
• The making of terracotta dolls in a form almost similar to that of 'Mother God' form found in Harappan ruins is also a traditional art of Bengal.
• This craft can be seen in Birbhum, Bankura and Midnapore districts though only a few craftsmen practice it nowadays.

Shellac

• Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug found on trees.
• After processing, it is mixed with colours and then applied on baked and dried terracotta figures.
• In Bengal, shellac is called 'gala' and the painted dolls (or 'putul' in Bengali) are known as 'galar putul'.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/modi-ganesha-made-of-shellac-rescues-dying-art-form-in-bengal/article33492822.ece?homepage=true