Message of harmony: Kolkata churches get splash of 'aalpona' paintings on Christmas eve

Kolkata: At least two Kolkata churches, one among which is an orthodox parish, are set to usher in the yuletide with a larger message of communal harmony – using motifs of ‘aalpona’, a craft of floor paintings, traditionally used in Bengal’s Hindu festivals – in their Christmas decorations.

The idea of using ‘aalpona’, a temporary paint made from rice flour, was conceived by a Muslim and executed by two Hindus.

The artistic brilliance of ‘aalpona’ paintings on Christmas eve adorned the haloed sanctums of the Greek Orthodox Church in Kalighat in south Kolkata and the Sacred Heart Church, a yellow clock-towered Latin Catholic church on Lenin Sarani, thanks to the joint efforts put in by Mudar Patherya, a Muslim businessman-cum- social activist, and his friends Ratnaboli Ghosh, a retired school teacher and Prasanta Sain, a professional artiste.

“The idea to splash the churches with ‘aalpona’ motifs crossed my mind because these forms of painting are inextricably tied to Bengal’s culture and heritage and are religion-agnostic,” Patherya explained.

“We made the first such effort to paint churches of Kolkata back in 2022 when we decorated the Sacred Heart Church and the St Thomas Church. The church authorities liked it so much that they ensured the paintings weren’t rubbed off for one whole year. This year, we only added to our previous artistry in one of those churches while painting another afresh,” he said.

Patherya and his friends have been decorating parts of the city for a while now, a venture they prefer to call “random acts of kindness”.

It began some three ago when Patherya and Ghosh, neighbours in a gated south Kolkata housing society, decided to uplift the aesthetics of their complex by beautifying the exteriors of random residences with ‘aalpona’ motifs, an act that received raving appreciation.

Ghosh, 72, and Sain soon caught the people’s attention after scores of Kolkatans in the neighbourhood woke up to the pleasant surprise of finding exquisite ‘aalpona’ designs painted on their doorsteps.

“That was the second phase of our venture,” Patherya said, adding, “We decided to take it a notch further by choosing to paint religious sites since this art form transcends faith and embodies our culture and tradition. Churches were a good testing ground to spread that idea and I am glad it worked."

The retired teacher beamed with ecstasy after praises for her art form were showered in from curious onlookers on the city streets, while she was painting the church in Kalighat.

“The church is right across the road from the Kali Temple. People were looking in the direction of the temple and bowing their heads in obeisance, and then turning towards the church and offering their respects to Jesus. They loved the work I was doing there,” she said, underscoring the secular spirit of the city.

Ghosh said that while there were “minor hesitations” from church authorities last time around before the team had etched their artistry, the response this time was far more welcoming.

"I will continue to sit and decorate the city with ‘aalponas’ as long as my knees permit me to do so," Ghosh declared, clearly rejuvenated with the people’s response.

Father Raphael Maity, the Parish Priest of the Greek Orthodox Church, felt that the ‘aalpona’ motifs blended well with the architecture of the century-old structure whose facade looks more like a Greek temple than a church, with its four Doric columns in the portico supporting the giant triangular pediment.

“The paintings look beautiful in the church on the eve of Christmas and I find nothing wrong in accepting a heritage art form that’s inextricably Bengal,” he said, highlighting the natural fusion of cultural forms which this venture achieved during the festivities.

"More than exterior decorations, Christ teaches us to decorate our hearts with patience, obedience and love. These paintings aptly reflect those teachings in the troubled times we currently live in," the priest said.