Every Friday morning, Aladdin Chitrakar travels from his village in Purba Medinipur, a coastal district in West Bengal, to Kolkata to showcase patachitra artwork created by him and his wife, Angoora Ji. They set up their stall at the weekend fair along the Biswa Bangla Sarani in the city that is widely known as a shopper’s paradise and a haven for art. Their vibrant fish motifs and tribal figurines painted on wooden trays and white T-shirts are the source of livelihood through which the couple supports their two sons. Aladdin rents a small place to live for three days in…
Read moreArticles by Megha Raha
Megha Raha is the founder of a social enterprise based in Kolkata that works at the intersection of waste management, the circular economy, and the livelihoods of informal workers. She also works as a communications consultant for a waste pickers' welfare organisation, and is interested in creating more inclusive and equitable urban waste systems.