Phad artists need to be highly skilled, abiding by the techniques taught by their ancestors. The
colourscheme(which predominantly consists of red, yellow, and green), is decided based on the
personality, appearance, and work role of the depicted character of the story, These rules &
traditions are followed to date in the traditional themes. The colour orange is used for limbs and
torso, yellow for ornaments, clothing and designs, gray for structure, blue for water and curtains,
green for trees and vegetation and red, prominently for the dress. The syahiis a delicate black
outline that brings linear expressions to life. In addition, certain characters are always portrayed in a
single colour. Similarly, the Paper painting relative size of each character is predetermined.For example in Pabuji ki Phad, Pabuji will always be the biggest size and will have the red colour dress, and his horse will always be black.
These Phad Artforms have a long life span and can last for over 100 years because of these natural
but time-consuming and tedious processes.
Phad in Modern Times
With the advent of cinema, television, and other digital platforms, the bhopa ballads have faded into
obscurity and are now solely used for symbolic purposes. Thus, the most notable change for the
artists in recent times is that they are no longer appointed by the Bhopas and Bhopis to create the
Phads Artwork. Phad was given a fresh lease of life in the early 1960s, and it adopted new tales,
sizes, and topics to appeal to a wider audience. This has given this art and its creator a fresh lease on
life.Although artists still use handmade canvas and natural colours, they also use cotton/khadi silks
and canvas nowadays. Synthetic colours have also made an appearance in this work of art.
These types of artwork are now created by presenting new subjects while also ensuring that the
traditional approaches are not blocked. They’ve started painting smaller versions of these phads
paintings that can be utilized as wall art. The Phad, which used to be over 30 feet long, has now
shrunk to just 1-2 feet in length. isans are open to playing with different themes. Phad artists have
also begun to dabble with newer topics. Phad Artist Vijay Joshi, a National Merit Awardee, has
painted phads on the lives of Mahatma Gandhi and Amitabh Bachchan. Artisans also make
awareness posters on current social awareness-building subjects such as mask-wearing, vaccination
drives, and other socially relevant topics.
There is a necessity in today’s world to promote such great artistic traditions from the past. Apart
from its aesthetic appeal, art forms like Phad retain history, folklore, and stories that have been
passed down through the generations and reflect on India’s rich culture, history, and traditions.
Sam(n)kranti here means ‘transfer’, this day is considered as the transition day of Sun into the Makar
Rashi (Capricorn). Makar Sankranti marks the primary day of the sun’s travel into Makara
Rashi(Capricorn zodiac sign), denoting the finish of winter and the start of hotter and longer days.
On Makar Sankranti, the Sun god is worshipped along with Lord Vishnu and goddess Lakshmi
throughout India. Makara Sankranti is the main Indian celebration that is praised by sun powered
cycles, while most celebrations follow the lunar pattern of the Hindu schedule. Consequently, it
quite often falls on a similar Gregorian date consistently (fourteenth January), and seldom does the
date shift by a day or thereabouts.
For most parts of India, this period is a part of the early stages of the Rabi crop and agricultural cycle,
where crops have been sown and the hard work in the fields is mostly over. The time thus signifies a
period of socializing and families enjoying each other’s company, taking care of the cattle, and
celebrating around bonfires.
Every twelve years, the Hindus observe Makar Sankranti with Kumbha Mela – one of the world’s
largest mass pilgrimage, with an estimated 40 to 100 million people attending the event. At this
event, they say a prayer to the sun and bathe at the Prayaga confluence of the River Ganga and River
Yamuna, a tradition attributed to Adi Shankaracharya.
Sankranti is commended in practically all pieces of India with unmistakable names.
The festivities associated with Makar Sankranti are known by various names Magh Bihu in Assam,
Lohari in Punjab, Maghi Saaji in Himachal Pradesh, Maghi Sangrand or Uttarain (Uttarayana) in
Jammu, Sakraat in Haryana, Sukarat in central India, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Uttarayan in Gujarat, and
Uttar Pradesh, Ghughuti in Uttarakhand, Poush sôngkrānti (Bengal), Suggi Habba (Karnataka),
Makara Chaula (Odisha), Makara Sankranti in Maharashtra, Goa, Khichdi Sankranti in UP & Bihar or
as Sankranthi in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and Shishur Saenkraath (Kashmir).
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