An evaluative analysis on the socio-economic changes, culture and lifestyle of Patua (Indic people) of West Bengal and Odisha.

Graphic narratives are one of the world's great art forms, but graphic novels and comics from Europe and the United States dominate scholarly conversations about them. Building upon the little extant scholarship on graphic narratives from the Global South, this collection moves beyond a narrow Western approach to this quickly expanding field. By focusing on texts from the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia, these essays expand the study of graphic narratives to a global scale. Graphic Novels and Comics as World Literature is also interested in how these texts engage with, fit in with, or complicate notions of World Literature. The larger theoretical framework of World Literature is joined with the postcolonial, decolonial, Global South, and similar approaches that argue explicitly or implicitly for the viability of non-Western graphic narratives on their own terms. Ultimately, this collection explores the ways that the unique formal qualities of graphic narratives from the Global South intersect with issues facing the study of international literatures, such as translation, commodification, circulation, Orientalism, and many others.

Comparative Literature is changing fast with methodologies, topics, and research interests emerging and remerging. The fifth volume of ICLA 2016 proceedings, Dialogues between Media, focuses on the current interest in inter-arts studies, as well as papers on comics studies, further testimony to the fact that comics have truly arrived in mainstream academic discourse. "Adaptation" is a key term for the studies presented in this volume; various articles discuss the adaptation of literary source texts in different target media - cinematic versions, comics adaptations, TV series, theatre, and opera. Essays on the interplay of media beyond adaptation further show many of the strands that are woven into dialogues between media, and thus the expanding range of comparative literature.

​This handbook is a comprehensive source of information, analysis and directions in disaster studies. It goes beyond the oft-explored issues of management and science related to the topic and explores policies, governance, law and decision-making combined with the processes of implementation and enforcement, all the while integrating the latest science and technology updates related to the topic, such as artificial intelligence and early warning systems. It brings together studies which relate to sociology, politics and institutional economics, which work under the impact of resource availability, issues of leadership and international laws. Disasters are trans-boundary and disaster studies are trans-disciplinary. It is this aspect which would form the fulcrum of contributions and present a new, refreshing and innovative design for the handbook. The transformatory pedagogy which started with the Hyogo Framework for action 2005-2015 and The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 outlines seven clear targets and four priorities for action to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risks. The four priority areas around which the book would revolve are (i) Understanding disaster risk; (ii) Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk; (iii) Investing in disaster reduction for resilience and; (iv) Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to "Build Back Better" in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

The Patachitra village is only 20 minutes from Balichak, near Panskura and can be reached by local trains from Howrah. By road, you need to take the NH6, turn left from Debra towards Balichak, go up to Mundamari and then again turn left to reach Naya. The Patachitra of different districts of Bengal are characterized by many peculiarities in colour and design. The one from Manbhum can easily be distinguished by their preference for one particular shade of burnt sienna relieved by white and yellow patches and densely packed composition. In the scrolls of pot of Birbhum, Bankura and Burdwan preference for Indian red background is usually found while the scrolls of Hoogly prefer a dark brown . The Hoogly and Manbhum ‘pats’ have a modern approach with abstract linear treatment. Patachitra is an ancient folk art of Bengal. Art lovers all over the world appreciate it for its effortless style of drawings, colours, lines and space usage. The world Pata derived from the Sanskrit word Patta means cloth. The painters are called Patuas . Patuas do not just paint, they also sing as they unfurl the painting scroll to show it to the audience. These songs are known as Pat-er Gaan and this differentiates the art from many other art-forms. Before this caught attention of people beyond the respective villages, the Patuas used to go out in the morning, showing their artwork in nearby villages and explaining those drawings with the songs they used to write and put to tune. The songs range from traditional mythological tales and tribal rituals to stories based on modern Indian history and contemporary issues like protecting forests and preventing spread of HIV/AIDS Patuas generally use natural colours, which they procure from various trees, leaves, flowers and clays like yellow colour is obtained from turmeric, red from a local fruit called Lotkon, blue from petals of Aparajita flower, green from leaves of Broad Beans (Sheem) tree or Strings beans ( Borboti ) tree and so on . The colours are then mixed with sap of wood apple tree (bel) as a binder. Long scrolls are the most well-known shape of pattachitra . The Patuas slowly unroll them as they share the stories through their songs. Square formats are also popular and seems like has a greater demand because they cost less and are easy to carry . Patachitra has even been mentioned in Puranas and Epics. ‘

The images presented in this book take us into the heart of the rich folk tradition of India. Of that heritage, the display of paintings accompanied by comments recited or sung has been a part of since very early times, as attested by references and legends in Sanskrit sources, including the Harsacarita, a 7th century work by Banabhatta. Known as patacitras or patas in short, these illustrated narratives on rectangular fabric or paper as well as on scrolls are a type of performed art that reaches out to audiences, mostly rural, conveying the artists' responses to legends and social themes of common knowledge across a wide range of audiences from varied social and cultural bases. A particularly powerful class of such paintings that come from the Bengali-speaking region of eastern India comprise the depiction of events from the Ramayana in the form of scrolls that are unrolled as the painter displays and explicates them. The vividly colourful images presented in this book occupy a special niche in the history of Indian art, remarkable because they are not only visual objects but narrative expositions of a text that has been part of vast numbers of the Indian people and often their source of moral guidance. Especially remarkable is that these patas by Bengali folk painters diverge so often from the magisterial Ramayanas of adikavi "First Poet" Valmiki, leave out important parts of it and import into the Rama saga episodes from local narrative caches.