Tarakeswarer Taraka: Othoba Elokeshi-Mohanta Upakhyan (Bengali)

Tarakeswarer Taraka (Othoba Elokeshi-Mohanta Upakhyan) is a limited-edition (100) Artist’s book based on the infamous case of the Tarakeswar scandal of 1873 Hooghly. This book uses obsolete yet classical, handmade bookmaking techniques, ranging from hand-composed letterpress printing to direct printing from hand-carved woodcut matrixes. In the arena of easy mechanical reproduction in publishing, it offers the delicate sensibilities and tactile aesthetics that the so-called ‘fine printing’ is capable of giving in handcrafted books. It is both an attempt to revisit the sheer possibilities of craftsmanship amidst the mechanical mass production system and to understand the formative aesthetical realm that 19th century commercial Bengali book production system used to undergo. This handmade book uses the codex format, delivered under a classical Graphic narrative.