Pithuli to paint: Did you know about this traditional method of making alpona during festivities

Come festivities and you pick your white, red, yellow, blue, green poster paints, take out the brush and apply a thick coat on the floor to create beautiful alpona. But did you know that traditionally the white paste is made of rice called Pithuli and instead of brush; they were applied by cotton balls? A combination of sustainable materials, meaningful rituals and creativity, Pithuli became the medium to express all three in a traditional alpona which is often applied at the entryway, courtyard, pandals or even rooftop during any celebrations.

What is pithuli and why is it a staple medium to bring alpona to life?

Pithuli or the milky white paste is particularly made with aatop chaal. This uncooked rice is first sun-dried, then soaked and ground into a fine paste. While many might prefer to do it in a mixer grinder today, traditionally it was done in a mortar pestle (or sil batta). The mixture would be coarse and slightly grainy. To adjust it into a smoother consistency water is added to it. However, one must be careful while diluting the mixture. It should not be runny but just smooth enough to be used as paint. To apply the same, cotton balls were held tightly around the fingers, dipped into the mixture and then controlled by the pressure between the finger and thumb to apply and formulate the design.

While one can never pinpoint to a date or an era in which pithuli became famous, one usually regards it as a very old form of folk art which has been passed on from generations to generations by women. Moreover, alpona did not just mean a desired design. There were certain traditional motifs with deep symbolism which still exist. Interestingly, like we use a colour palette while giving alpona today, earlier the pithuli was divided and natural colours were added to widen the repertoire. Turmeric for yellow, vermillion for red, charcoal for black and leaves for green were the common colours used.

Benefits of Pithuli

Many would ponder how and why rice paste would be beneficial in this case? There are four simple explanations to this question. First, rice is a readily available ingredient in every household. Turning rice into a white pigment and adding more natural ingredients to diversify colours would have been the easiest thing to do. Second, rice itself is a symbolism of prosperity. Many deities are seen holding bowls of rice. Furthermore, dry rice has always been offered during prayers, making it a suitable choice for making the alpona base. Third, rice paste was a biodegradable commodity. Easily wipe able after a few days, it left no trace, no dirt, permanent markings and easily soluble. Fourth, another interesting micro-tradition is the bhutayajna. This means that the rice particles in the pithuli can be seen as food for micro-organisms and smaller pests like ants and other insects.

Pithuli vs modern paints

Today alpona is no longer a craft taking shape inside houses and courtyards. Year after year, it has become a community practice where artists and locals take to streets to paint the longest alpona or largest alpona, or midnight alpona. Here one would reiterate that paint is used instead of the traditional pithuli. While that is correct and pithuli does face a tough competition from the pocket-friendly artificial paint, many traditional practitioners, individuals, artists, and bonedi bari households still use pithuli to make alpona. The reason being, maintaining tradition, spotlighting heritage and maneuvering the cotton wick and rice paste smoothly than a paintbrush.  With time alpona is no longer a folk art form, it has become an annual ritualistic offering to the deity.

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