History Of Folk Art 

Potchitra is one of the oldest surviving folk art forms in Bangladesh. An art skill passed down for generations. Storytelling through a series of paintings is a well loved and well practiced art in this region. The tales are mostly about mythical or religious figures and their exploits. But in potchitra (pot means scroll or a piece of cloth used as a canvas), the paintings are drawn on separate pieces of cloth. If you put together all the different pieces of a pot or story, you get the whole story of one of Kirshna’s feats, or one of the exploits of a Muslim saint called Gazi Pir. A Gazir pat was a popular form of entertainment in rural areas, especially in greater Dhaka, Mymensingh, Sylhet, Comilla, Noakhali, Faridpur, Jessore, Khulna and Rajshahi.

A performance of gazir gan (songs about Gazi Pir) or usually takes place in the courtyard of rural homesteads. The performer gradually unrolls the scroll, pointing to different illustrations with a thin bamboo staff as he narrates the incidents. A few percussionists stand beside the lead performer and accompany him on the judi, dhol and chati.  Those who took part in the performance were members of the Bedey community and Muslim by faith. However, like all other forms of folk art, potchitra too is fading fast as a result of rapid urbanization and the technological revolution. Though folklorists believe that in some parts of Bangladesh and West Bengal potchitra still survives with a few practicing here and there, the gap between scroll artists and the public has continued to widen.