Art Hours

Manuscript paintings from Assam represent a refined tradition where storytelling unfolds through line, colour, and carefully prepared surfaces. Created on Sanchipat, a handmade material manuscript  derived from treated Sanchi tree (Agarwood tree ) bark,. These paintings traditional artworks combine painting, calligraphy, and material knowledge to carry narratives across time. The tradition reflects a deep relationship between visual form, spiritual thought, and craftsmanship.

This workshop introduces participants to the visual and material language of Sanchipat manuscript painting, drawing connections to Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters, which explores how stories travel through land, memory, and shared cultural systems. Like Songlines, manuscript paintings function as narrative maps where sequence, rhythm, and repetition guide the viewer through layered meaning.

Led by artist and researcher Mridu Moucham Bora, the session begins with an illustrated introduction to the history of Assamese manuscript traditions and their aesthetic principles. Participants learn about the preparation of manuscript-like surfaces, the logic of horizontal composition, and the role of borders, motifs, and registers in structuring visual narratives.

Through guided drawing and painting exercises, participants work with fine brushes and a limited colour palette to develop stylised figures, ornamental details, and controlled line work. Emphasis is placed on understanding material behaviour, precision, and patience — allowing participants to experience how stories are built through disciplined, sequential making rather than spontaneous expression.

The workshop offers both contextual understanding and hands-on practice, providing insight into a living tradition where material, narrative, and visual order come together.

Audience Takeaways: 

●      Learn the fundamentals of Assamese Sanchipat manuscript painting

●      Understand the role of material preparation, layout, and borders in narrative art

●      Explore stylised figure drawing and fine line (kalam) techniques

●      Work with a traditional colour palette and precision brushes

●      Gain insight into how stories are mapped visually through sequence and structure.

Artist Bio  

Mridu Moucham Bora is a Sanchipat manuscript painter, conservator, and researcher from Assam, recognised for his sustained work in reviving and preserving Assamese manuscript painting traditions. With over twenty-five years of experience, he is among the few practitioners trained across the full spectrum of manuscript practice — including surface preparation, pigment making, painting, calligraphy, and conservation.

He has created more than five hundred Sanchipat works and several illustrated and non-illustrated manuscripts using historically accurate techniques, including projects supported by national cultural bodies. Bora has been closely associated with large-scale manuscript conservation initiatives, contributing to the documentation and preservation of tens of thousands of manuscripts through collaborations with institutions such as the National Mission for Manuscripts, National Archives of India, INTACH, and international heritage foundations.

Alongside his practice, he regularly conducts workshops, lectures, and demonstrations in India and abroad, and has authored research catalogues and publications on Assamese manuscript traditions. His work bridges artistic practice, scholarship, and heritage conservation, supporting the living continuity of manuscript painting in Assam.

This workshop accompanies Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters, presented by the National Museum of Australia in partnership with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art at the Humayun’s Tomb World Heritage Site Museum.