In his poem, Dukhushyam Chitrakar describes the condition of England in the 1590s, using details from previous discussions of this historical context and the maps, illustrations, and texts at his disposal. He adapts and incorporates into his own poem…

The story of Shekkhopir-deshe Durbhikkho is based on academic sources and research which were discussed with the artists before they began composing the narrative poem and pattern for the scroll. The conversations about the famine in England in the…

This is the structure followed by Dukhushyam Chitrakar while composing the poem for the scroll painting. It is based on the research notes, source translations, summaries, and discussions with Ayesha Mukherjee and Sujit Mondal.

These are the initial research notes on sources shared with the artists, on the basis of which discussions were begun. One of the challenges of this story was the wide variety of sources - from official records to literary works. We focussed on…

This is a Bengali translation of excerpts from historical accounts in the EIC’s records, Hunter’s Annals, and poems (both English and Bengali originals) with a summary of the historical context. It was created for the scroll painters who could not…

Chhiattor-er Monnontor (The Bengal Famine of 1769-70) is based on academic sources and research which was discussed with the artists. On that basis, Dukhushyam Chitrakar first composed a poem and set it to music. The painting then began with a…

These images and video show the painters at work, with the natural colours they made themselves. The panels of the scroll were painted collectively by the chitrakar community over several days.In this video we interview the women painters (Jahanara…

The story of Chhiattor-er Monnontor is based on academic sources and research which was discussed with the artists. On that basis, Dukhushyam Chitrakar first composed a poem and set it to music. The painting then began with a pencilled outline of the…

The story of Chhiattorer Monnontor (the Bengal famine of 1769-70) is based on academic sources and research which was discussed with the artists. On that basis, Dukhushyam Chitrakar first composed a poem and set it to music. This poem narrates the…

The story of Chhiattor-er Monnontor is based on academic sources and research which were discussed with the artists before they began composing the narrative poem and pattern for the scroll. The conversations about the famine took place over several…

This is a Bengali translation of excerpts from Mundy's Travels, with a summary of the historical context. It was created for the scroll painters who could not read the original text in English.

Mundy Shaheb-er Golpo (The Tale of Mundy Shaheb) is based on academic sources and research which was discussed with the artists. On that basis, Dukhushyam Chitrakar first composed a poem and set it to music. The painting then began with a pencilled…

The images show Dukhushyam Chitrakar's first drafts of the poem he composed, and the transcribed version on the Famine and Dearth database, linked here, is the final iteration, which he set to music. The poem narrates Mundy's early years as a…

The story of Mundy is based on academic sources and research which were discussed with the artists before they began composing the narrative poem and pattern for the scroll. The conversations about Mundy Shaheb-er Golpo took place over several days…

These images and video show the painters at work, with the natural colours they made themselves. The panels of the scroll were painted collectively by the chitrakar community over several days. The order of panels were revised when the painters…

The story of Mundy is based on academic sources and research which was discussed with the artists. On that basis, Dukhushyam Chitrakar first composed a poem and set it to music. The painting then began with a pencilled outline of the entire story.…

This is a transcription of selections from Phullara's story in the Chandimangal that the artists used as a starting point.

These are the initial research notes on sources shared with the artists, on the basis of which discussions were begun.

The story of Phullara is based on academic sources and research which was discussed with the artists. On that basis, Dukhushyam Chitrakar first composed a poem and set it to music. The painting then began with a pencilled outline of the entire story.…

The story of Phullara is based on academic sources and research which was discussed with the artists. On that basis, Dukhushyam Chitrakar first composed a poem and set it to music. This poem focuses on Phullara-r Baromasha, or monthly account of…

The story of Phullara is based on academic sources and research which was discussed with the artists. On that basis, Dukhushyam Chitrakar first composed a poem and set it to music. The painting then began with a pencilled outline of the entire story.…

The story of Phullara is based on academic sources and research which was discussed with the artists. On that basis, Dukhushyam Chitrakar first composed a poem and set it to music. The painting then began with a pencilled outline of the entire story.…

The story of Phullara is based on academic sources and research which was discussed with the artists. On that basis, Dukhushyam Chitrakar first composed a poem and set it to music. The painting then began with a pencilled outline of the entire story.…