During Durga Puja, while festivities marked cities, these Bengal villages used art to fight COVID-19
The Hindu
The campaign, which began on October 1, is being organised by the community radio of Jadavpur University with support from UNICEF and is being executed by the Kolkata-based Chalchitra Academy.
Earlier this month, when the cities of West Bengal were busy celebrating Durga Puja, children in five tribal villages of the State were painting the walls of their modest homes to create awareness against COVID-19, which continues to be a major threat in both urban and rural areas.
The campaign, which began on October 1, is being organised by the community radio of Jadavpur University with support from UNICEF and is being executed by the Kolkata-based Chalchitra Academy, a collective of artists.
“The pandemic was not only pushing many rural communities into isolation but was also threatening many forms of folk art. People were on the verge of abandoning those arts and taking up professions that brought more income. So we decided to use these very people and their art forms to spread awareness about COVID-19 and to promote vaccination,” Imankalyan Lahiri, who teaches international relations at the university and is the convener of the community radio, told The Hindu.