Maa Chitrakrom- Matrisudha (মাতৃসুধা)

 

Series Introduction

Maa Chitrakrom is an illustration series inspired by the visual language of Bengal's Tenpa Putul folk dolls.

The inspiration for this series came from a photograph I saw on Facebook. It showed a village fair where doll makers had spread sheets on the ground, displaying their handmade dolls for people to see and buy. The photo instantly brought back memories of seeing similar village doll sellers in my suburban locality.

Their poshora (a spread of merchandise) displayed many different kinds of clay dolls. Among them, the mother-and-child figures stayed with me. Their simple forms were shaped by the hands of village women using local materials, bare hands, and minimal tools such as a simple twig.

Across many folk traditions in Bengal, images of motherhood appear in dolls, ritual objects, folk paintings, songs, and oral narratives. As I reflected on these traditions, I became aware of the relative absence of everyday mother-daughter relationships in their visual representations.

This series explores that emotional space through five interconnected artworks. Together, they move through nourishment, shelter, companionship, compassion, and knowledge.

Each artwork is hand-drawn, scanned, and digitally colored. I wanted to retain the simplicity and warmth that first drew me to these folk forms. The terracotta-brown palette references clay. The enclosing borders are inspired by temple arches and the entrances and corners of village homes. The white ornamentation draws from alpana motifs traditionally painted with rice paste and khori mati around the doors and windows of rural Bengali houses.

These architectural forms create intimate spaces that frame small yet meaningful moments between mother and child.

More than anything, Maa Chitrakrom became a personal reflection on the evolving relationship between mother and daughter. It also became a way to explore the quiet emotional worlds that often go unspoken within Bengal's folk visual traditions.

Inspiration (Reference photograph)

Matrisudha (মাতৃসুধা)

Nectar of Motherhood

The first artwork in Maa Chitrakrom begins with nourishment.

Among the many mother-and-child figures that first drew me to this series, I found myself returning to one simple idea: a mother nursing her child. It is one of the earliest acts of care we experience. Quiet, intimate, and deeply human.

The title Matrisudha loosely translates to "Nectar of Motherhood." Here, nourishment is not only physical but also emotional. It is the first bond through which comfort, warmth, trust, and a sense of security enter a child's world.

This artwork marks the beginning of the journey in Maa Chitrakrom. It begins with the closeness of mother and child, from which every other relationship in the series gradually unfolds.

Development Sketches