[Reader-list] Fourth Posting, Mithun Narayan Bose, I. Fellow

[bangali_ mnb]

 Religious Pictures on the Calcutta-Rickshaws,             
   
       Religion is one of the most vital factors defining our national
 character and most importantly, our culture. Calcutta-rickshaws are not
 alien in this matter and thus religious pictures are as important and
 dominating as the Bollywood or Tollywood-pictures. The use of this kind
 of pictures is not for aesthetical causes only but the wish for safety
 is also a prominent side which should not be overviewed. The Hindus,
 Muslims and Christians, these Rickshaw-pullers, regardless of their
 religion, caste or creed, are using the pictures of  Gods, Goddesses,
 Religious sites or shrines, Prophets or religious symbols for the sake of
  their safety. It shows man’s ever-lasting faith on religion in one hand
 and the inter-relation between the urbanity and folk in another, and the
 inter-mingling character of the folk-beliefs and religions is another
 interesting part of study.
      The pictures of Lord Shiva, Mother Kali or Radha-Krishna are
 commonly visible on the Hindu Rickshaw-pullers’ rickshaws. Hanumaan or
 religious personalities like Shri Ramakrishna or Baba Lokenath are also
 making their presence felt. These pictures are always drawn as the part of
 the safety-measure and thus drawn in a serious fashion. In one of the
 rickshaws I had had seen that the rickshaw-puller, someone named
 Bulton, had written his own name on the lap of Baba Lokenath. But I had seen
 a picture of Lord Shiva where He was reffered as “MOTABABA” or “The Fat
 Father” and thus the intermingling of sacred and profane in
 folk-religion is distinctly visible here. Though it can happen only with Lord
 Shiva, other deities are always been respected and certain fear-psychosis
 is related with them. But Shiva has become the family-person in
 Bengali-culture. In Gambhira dance or in Shivayana Kavya, Bengali people make
 great laugh on Him. The rickshaw-paintings carry that tradition on
     its back which is simply superb and fantastic. 
      The Matriarchal base of Bengali proto-culture is visible in the
 worshipping of mother-goddesses in Bengal in such a great manner. That’s
 why pictures of Mother Kali, Tara or Durga are very common on the
 rickshaws of Calcutta. Snake-Goddess Manasa or Pox-healer Shitala is also
 popular and one can go to the Pre-Aryan history tracing the influences
 and causes of those depictions. Thus it seem interesting to me. 
      “Baba Borokachari” or “The judge of the final judgment” of Howrah
 or “Maa Naachinda” of East-Midnapore district of W. Bengal are as
 popular as the mainstream deities and it depicts that many of the
 rickshaw-pullers come from these districts as well as Calcutta. It also proves
 that the Folk-religion is deeply rooted in the Subaltern and it
 maintains its own existence and identity living parallely with the
 Super-structure.  
      The Christian rickshaw-pullers draw pictures of Jesus or Mother
 Mary on the rear-side of their rickshaws while the inscription of the
 sacred number of ‘786’ on rickshaw is commonly visible among the Muslim
 rickshaw-pullers. I have known that most of the rickshaw-pullers of
 Christian rickshaw-dwellers are from Catholic Church and thus the picture
 of Mother Mary is very popular.  
      But which is most interesting is the inter-mingling character of
 the religious faiths. As most of the Muslim and Christian
 rickshaw-pullers were originally low-caste Hindus, the influence of certain Hindu
 traditions is being felt in the decoration of their rickshaw also.
      Hindu rickshaw pullers too use the number ‘786’ in their
 rickshaws to ward off the evil influences from their life. Using of lotus,
 picture of Maa Kali and the holy number ‘786’ in Bangla, English or Arabic
 simultaneously is not uncommon among my subjects. Tradition lives,
 sometimes nonchalant and hideously, but never dies. Those paintings give me
 this confidence and the secular and inter-religious practice draws my
 attention and respect to these people, my poor subjects



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