Prateek Pattanaik is a physics undergraduate based in Bhubaneswar and an artist as well. He describes his work as 'using technology to empower language and preserve culture'. He has conceived, implemented and led several projects to digitally document vulnerable ancient cultural practices like the performing arts, musical traditions, lesser known monuments, neglected languages, and palm leaf manuscripts.
Prateek Pattanaik is a 'Pattachitra' painter and Odissi musician. He researches and writes extensively about Odisha's ancient culture on the lines of mythology, the arts, and ethnomusicology. His work involves using digital mediums like YouTube and Twitter to breathe new life into endangered traditions.
Prateek Pattanaik told SBS Hindi about why he started this work.
Ananta Basudeba (Balabhadra) Source: Prateek Pattanaik
"From childhood I used to visit Puri’s Jagannath Temple and there they would have traditional performances and keep ancient artforms. But these days you don’t see them in the same way that you used to see them before. There are some art forms that I used to see as a child but I don’t see them anymore. I also got to know that there are some folk arts that have disappeared. So that’s how it started. I did research on what was there before and what is not there anymore. Then I would proceed with the documentation."
Prateek works with a team of volunteers and says that they selectively approach and target artforms for documentation that have either gone extinct or are endangered. He tells us that they have done a lot of documentation about folk dance and drama.
Ananta Narayana (Jagannatha) Source: Prateek Pattanaik
"Prahlad Nataka, Bharat Lila, Sahi Jatra are some of the folk art forms that we have documented. Old murals made on walls in 'pattachitra' style are also reducing. Many murals and wall paintings have been destroyed. So I do documentation of those murals."
"It's important to preserve our artforms for the future," feels Prateek. "There may be artforms which have not made the official list of listed folk artforms in Odisha. Also, it is not possible for everyone to go to a remote village and see the folk art there. Moreover, if we lose them in the future, we may have nothing left to even reconstruct them. That is why digital documentation is a good approach."
Pati Source: Prateek Pattanaik
