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Paper short abstract:

The research focuses on the ritual of Jadu Patuas, whose performance, it is believed, allows them to cross the boundaries of the real world. Against the global homogeneity, they provide an alternate perspective to study the subtleties of organic solidarity and sustainable growth across Monsoon Asia.

Paper long abstract:

Believed to have a mystic connection with the dead, the legendary Jadu Patua community of Jharkhand and the West Bengal district in India have always been elusive to urbanization. Unlike other Pata painting traditions that are hugely affected by extreme commercialization and commodification in the contemporary era, Jadu Patas are discrete in their characteristics and, most importantly, in their functionality. As part of the ritual, a Pata or a painting of the deceased is brought to the bereaved family, and the iris of the image is drawn afterward, so the soul of the deceased can travel to the realm of the ancestors. By performing this, together with the Jadu Pata and the family of the deceased person, the Jadu Patuas cross the edges of formal physical boundaries that lie between the real and the ethereal world. By doing so, the cult of the Jadu Patuas provides an alternate perspective to study the relationships and dynamics between the marginal people and their surrounding physical environment, which exist in parallel with the mainstream religious practices and rituals. This study would take a multidisciplinary approach by considering textual studies, history, art history, ethnography, anthropology, and folkloric studies. In a time of worldwide homogeneity, augmented by globalization, this research aims to shed light on the intangible cultural heritage of the Jadu Patuas and how these art forms can redirect our focus towards cultural exclusivity and a need to grow empathy for the same. It is anticipated that the knowledge would contribute to proliferating organic solidarity and sustainable growth en masse.