Singing Pictures
For generations the Patua (Chitrakar) communities of West Bengal have been painters and singers of stories depicted in scrolls. Recently a group of women from Naya village near Calcutta, have formed a scroll painters' cooperative.
The film follows their daily lives as they paint, sing, cook, tend to their children and meet with the cooperative. They discuss the problems and rewards of practicing their art, and speak freely about the social, religious, and political changes in the village and the world beyond. Their wisdom, artistry, and good humor amidst many difficulties illuminate the lives around them.