Artist Chet Kumari Chitrakar Continues Traditional Art Amidst Digital Age

Bhaktapur. As Shrawan Shukla Panchami, i.e., Nag Panchami, approaches, the Chhath of Navadurga in Yanche, Bhaktapur, has become bustling. Although colorful posters of snakes printed by machines are easily available in the market, 73-year-old Chet Kumari Chitrakar is busy decorating traditional paintings of snakes prepared with her own hands using colors she made herself.

Her hands are moving the brush. In front of her is a painting of a snake. Beside it are traditional colors she prepared herself. In a time when digital technology makes creating and printing images possible in moments, for Chet Kumari, creating a painting is not just about artistic creation, but about continuing a culture and tradition that has been passed down for generations.