Chorida village in Purulia district is renowned for its Chho masks. But there are a handful of mask makers who also carve wooden dolls. While most of them are elderly craftsmen, 352 year old Taraknath Sutradhar and his younger brother, Bholanath, are continuing with this family tradition, albeit with some stylistic changes.    

In an earlier time, the wooden dolls carved by their forefathers would represent a bride and groom or Krishna and Radha, with one set differentiated from the other through the use of particular painting styles and colours. When the popularity of folk festivals like Bhadu puja began to spread sometime in the mid nineteenth century, the dolls would be suitably painted to represent Bhadu, the folk deity. (According to folklore, the Maharaja of Kashipur, the capital of Panchakot, an erstwhile state in the Purulia region, introduced Bhadu Puja.  Bhadu or  Bhadreswari was the king`s daughter and her untimely death prompted her father to start the puja, to keep her memory alive. In the process, Bhadu was elevated to the status of a deity. The puja is performed by the women of non-tribal subaltern communities in the month of August-September). Similarly Tushu dolls too were made in advance of the winter harvest festival. 

Taraknath`s forefathers who were originally from Ichagarh (now in Jharkhand) migrated to Chorida village in the early 20th century, bringing with them their traditional craft of making wooden dolls and clay idol making.  Crafting Chho masks came later. (Chho masks have evolved over time,  beginning with painted dried gourds which were current when Taraknath`s ancestors migrated). They would sell their dolls and papier mache figurines of animals and birds at local festivals like the adivasi Durkura Buru mela held in mid January. This practice still continues. 

The shape and structure of the dolls have remained unchanged. They use the wood of the slim Shalkadoka tree (a local name for probably the Indian Ash tree), carefully sourced from the nearby Ajodhya hills. Taraknath feels that this is the best possible wood for carving - it is smooth, repels insects and does not crack. The logs are split longitudinally and soaked in water for a day. Each section , about a foot long, will be chiselled carefully to yield the basic structure for a doll. 

The dolls are first given a base coat of Khori  mati, a chalky clay. Unlike the simply executed bi-coloured (usually red and yellow) traditional dolls, Taraknath and his brother use a combination of bright synthetic colours, blue, pink, green and orange and add a lot of intricate detailing, combined with a greater attention to the finish. A doll could become a Krishna or a Mahisasura, all with a few deft strokes of paint. While the older artists would add several coats of varnish to the finished product, Taraknath`s dolls are unvarnished. The dolls are mainly made in winter, before the Tushu festival, though some are also made in preparation for Bhadu, in August. Other than sales at local festivals, they also receive orders to decorate Durga Puja pandals with their dolls. 

Besides being a Chho mask and wooden doll maker, the talented Taraknath crafts clay idols and is a Chho dancer to boot. He first learnt the dance from the renowned Gambhir Singh Mura when he was 12 years old and later continued under Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, Jagru Mahato. He has performed in various programmes across the state and designs his own Chho costumes as well. He had once been invited to perform abroad, but unfortunately fell prey to official red tapism.  

During the Covid lockdown, Taraknath and his family created what they called Covid masks, an interesting development based on their Chho masks. Though not really useful as masks for regular use, they make for dramatic wall decor.