Bapi Chitrakar

Interview
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Transcript

Bapi Chitrakar: Greetings! My name is Bapi Chitrakar.
I am a patua from the Pingla district.
I’ll be singing a pata song on the Ramayana.
Ram got married,
But following his father’s instructions, he left for a fourteen-year exile.
Ram led.
Sita followed him and Lakshman the archer walked behind them.
But Sita was unable to withstand the scorching sun and the warm sand.
Lakshman broke off a branch and used it as an umbrella to protect Sita from the heat.
They finally reached the forest of Panchavati.
There, Ram and Sita whiled away their time playing chess, while Lakshman guarded them.
There, Ram and Sita whiled away their time playing chess, while Lakshman guarded them.
That is when Surpanakha walked in, looking for flowers.
That is when Surpanakha walked in, looking for flowers.
But brother-in-law Lakshman chopped off her nose.
Surpanakha, with her mutilated nose ran back to her kingdom, Lanka
and started wailing in front of her brother, Ravana.
Witnessing his sister’s plight, the extremely intelligent. Ravana got furious.
He called upon Marich to chalk out a plan of vengeance.
Ravana asked Marich to visit the Panchavati forest
where Ram and Sita were playing chess, and Lakshman was guarding the door.
Marich took the form of a golden deer and enticed Sita with its beauty.
Ram chased down the deer and entered deep into the forest.
After some time, Sita could hear Ram’s shrill cries, pleading for help.
Sita immediately asked Lakshman to rush for help.
The latter said that he had been ordered by his brother to stay back and watch over.
Lakshman, however, had to leave on Sita’s request. But before leaving, he drew the threshold, which Sita was not supposed to cross.
Ravana came disguised as a hermit, begging for alms.
As soon as she crossed the threshold, Ravana dragged her away.
While he was trying to abduct her, Dasarath’s friend Jatayu flew in and tried thwarting Ravana’s attempt.
But he got fatally injured by Ravana and the latter was successful in abducting her.
He brought her to Lanka.
This is where the story on the abduction of Sita ends.
My name is Bapi Chitrakar and I am from Naya, Pingla, West. Medinipur.
Namaskar.
Bapi Chitrakar exhibits his pata on tsunami.
Interviewer: We have visited a few other pataus before this.
They, too, have displayed patas on tsunami.
So, who was the first patua to have composed on this?
Bapi Chitrakar: We were the first to compose it.
Interviewer: Patuas, primarily, used to compose on mythological themes.
So when did they start painting on contemporary social issues as well.
Bapi Chitrakar: We were in Delhi, in December, 2004.
We went there to attend a fair.
The tsunami hit us on the 26th of December, 2004.
So, our sir, Mr. Rajeev Sethi, asked us to compose a pata on the tsunami.
He also told us due to a deadly earthquake which hit places like Thailand, Andaman, Sri Lanka,
thousands of people had lost their lives.
He wanted us to paint something on that.
So, we painted on the tsunami and also composed a pata song.
We wrote a song about the incident and disseminated this knowledge to several other patuas as well.
Interviewer: Do you have a song for this pata as well?
Bapi Chitrakar: Yes.
Interviewer: Please start.
Bapi Chitrakar: This is a pata which depicts the deadly tsunami that hit on 26th December, 2004.
Countries like Thailand, Andaman, Sri Lanka sustained massive destruction.
Countless people lost their lives.. Many more lost their houses.
Normal life got completely disrupted.
We tried putting across the immeasurable agonies that this natural calamity brought forth, through our pata.
We went around places, showcasing this pata, hoping that this would help
people learn how to curb the immense damage when a disaster of this magnitude hits.
The ill-fated tsunami snatched away so many lives.
The ill-fated tsunami snatched away so many lives.
It hit the coasts of Thailand, Andaman, and Sri Lanka.
Why do my eyes well up with tears and my heart thump against my chest?
The ill-fated tsunami snatched away so many lives.
On the 26th of December, 2004, Andaman almost got submerged.
It also hit Thailand and Sri Lanka.
We have no count of how many people lost their lives.
The ill-fated tsunami snatched away so many lives.
The corpses of men and women, and animals keep floating all around.
How do we survive, oh Almighty! Please suggest us something.
The ill-fated tsunami snatched away so many lives.
So many people got killed.
How do we survive, oh Almighty! Please suggest us something.
The ill-fated tsunami snatched away so many lives.
All the journalists flocked together to those affected places and tried rescuing people.
They were determined to rescue them.
The ill-fated tsunami snatched away so many lives.
The army also reached the affected places and started rescuing people.
They had enough grit and determination in them, so as to be able to do so.
The ill-fated tsunami snatched away so many lives.
An eighty-year old man says that he has never witnessed
such an incident of unfathomable misery and pain.
The ill-fated tsunami snatched away so many lives.
The medical staffs also reached the areas and started their work.
They distributed both clothes and medicines.
The ill-fated tsunami snatched away so many lives.
Tsunami has hit the coasts of Thailand, Andaman and Sri. Lanka.
How do we survive, oh Almighty! Please suggest us something.
The ill-fated tsunami snatched away so many lives.
Are these instances of your power, oh goddess of water and goddess of land?
Tsunami has hit the coasts of Thailand and Sri Lanka.
The ill-fated tsunami snatched away so many lives.
The ill-fated tsunami snatched away so many lives.
This pata is on the marriage of fishes.
When we have guests at our house, we bring fresh fishes from the market,
cook and make sure that are guests are well fed.
We offer our warm hospitality.
This is Dariya fish and that one is Tariya fish.
These are small fishes that can be found in ponds.
They are getting married and have invited all the fishes to their wedding.
Some fishes said that they would carry the palanquin.
One fish said that it would transform itself into a bangle;
another said that it would become an earring.
Another fish says that it’ll bring sweets.
This one says that it will play the synthesizer during the wedding.
This scene depicts how they have celebrated the wedding with great pomp and are coming back.
All the fishes were invited to the wedding, but not the Boal (wallago) fish (the Indian Sareng).
The Boal (wallago) fish heard about the wedding and it got offended on not being invited.
It was waiting for the other fishes to return from the wedding. As soon as it encountered them,
it gobbled up all of them – including the newly-wed couple.
All the fishes started crying.
They pleaded the Boal fish to let them go.
But it was not willing to forgive them, since all the other smaller fishes were invited.
Boal (wallago) fish is considered the guru of all the fishes.
How can I be uninvited! The fish then promised that he would be the first one to receive
invitation when the party from the groom’s side is thrown.
They further promised that he would be warmly received and well-fed during the party.
This is the story of the marriage of fishes.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
The carps would carry the palanquin.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
Cat fish would become the earring.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
Indian Jew fish and Indian Whitespot would bring sweets for the wedding.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
Indian butter fish would become the parting of the forehead.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
Gong Tengra fish would become the bangle.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
The crab says it would play musical instruments.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
The eel would play the kettle-drum.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
The Bilaspur Fish says that it would carry sweets for the wedding.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
The prawn says that it would play the keyboard.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
The tyangra fish says that it would attend the wedding from the groom’s side.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
The boal fish (wallago) threatens to gobble up all the smaller fishes.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
Let’s attend the wedding of the Dariya fish, o Rangeela.
During a wedding, fishes are gifted by the groom’s family to the bride’s side and vice versa.
Interviewer: But why is there a mention of crab?
Bapi Chitrakar: Yes, the crab said that it would play the dotara during the wedding.
Dotara is a musical instrument.
The crab, the turtle and the earthworm – all reside in the pond and are, therefore, friends.
Barring the boal (wallago) fish, all the others have been invited.
But the guru, the head of the clan – the boal (wallago) fish has not been invited.
For instance, if we get married without our parent’s knowledge,
and then come back to our family, would they ever accept us?
They won’t let us live in their home.
They’ll ask us to find a different shelter for ourselves.
Therefore, parents should have knowledge about who their ward is getting married to.
Then they’ll warmly accept the partner.
But the boal (wallago) fish, here, was not invited and felt offended.
That is why he swallowed everyone up.
Everyone started crying and pleading to him.
in the party that would be thrown by the groom’s side.
They promised that he’ll be invited and will be well-fed
That is when the boal (wallago) fish felt pacified and let them go.
Earlier, we used to visit houses and sing this song.. We used to get money, a handful of rice.
This has been practiced since the last six generations.
Nowadays, people gather, play a CD and spend the entire night watching that.
Earlier, people used to travel long distances (60-80kms),
carrying the palanquin and singing and dancing all along.
But nowadays, the means of transport have improved a lot.. They come back on the same night, after all the wedding.
We, the patuas, used to travel in groups of 40 and entertain the groom’s side all throughout the night.
After the bride departed, we collected our payments and left.
That was the common practice, back then.
Interviewer: How long has the patua community been residing here?
Bapi Chitrakar: For more than eighty years.
Interviewer: Is the patua community concentrated only in this one place or have they dispersed all throughout India?
Bapi Chitrakar: Initially, there were just four families, here, which were involved with patachitra.
But after 26th December, 2004, we were asked by Mr. Rajeev. Sethi to paint patas.
A lot of fairs and exhibitions started being conducted.
The market value of this art form improved substantially.
That is when people started giving up their occupation to pursue patachitra.
There were rickshaw pullers, contractors and labourers,
who realised the importance of patachitra and therefore,
gave up their previous occupation.
They realised that instead of working on fields, they could sit back and paint.
That would earn them both money and fame.
They’ll be able to travel far and wide.
The number of patuas has increased since 2004.
There are 110 patuas residing in Naya now.
Interviewer: Who was the first member in your family to settle down here?
Bapi Chitrakar: It was my grandfather.
Well… perhaps, it was my grandfather’s father.
Interviewer: Is he still alive?

Bapi Chitrakar: No, he has passed away.
Interviewer: I have spoken to quite a few patuas.
What I have gathered is that there was no patua settlement at Naya.
They were mainly from Purba Medinipur.
They have all migrated from that region. Why?
Bapi Chitrakar: Patuas used to travel to various villages and display their patas.
They used to halt there for the night and come back home later.
They liked Pingla and decided to settle down here.
Gradually the number started multiplying and the number has now reached 76. There are 76 families residing in Naya now.
Interviewer: Where did you learn patachitra from?
Bapi Chitrakar: I learnt it from my father.
My father had learnt it from my grandfather.
My grandfather, in turn, had learnt it from his father.
So, this is how it has been passed down in my family since the last seven generations.
Interviewer: Could you please tell us about how it all began?
Bapi Chitrakar: As I already mentioned, I learnt it from my father and my father learnt from my grandfather.
Interviewer: Yes.
I got your point.
I was wondering about how patachitra came into being?
Bapi Chitrakar: For our forefathers, patachitra was a means of livelihood.
But then, earlier patas were not sold.
Patuas used to visit villages, display their paintings and sing pata songs.
In return, people gave them rice, a little bit of money.
That is what they subsisted on.
But now things have changed.
Since 2001-2002, the number of customers has also substantially increased.
People buy patachitras as wall hangings.
Our paintings are also bought by museums.
Earlier there was a tradition of inviting patuas to visit
and entertain people at weddings or rice ceremonies of babies.
Our lives depended entirely on this.
Interviewer: You displayed some paintings a few minutes back.
Were those made by you or by your forefathers?
Bapi Chitrakar: No, these are my paintings.
But I have preserved paintings by my father and grandfather as well.
Interviewer: Do you have paintings by members of the last seven generation?
Bapi Chitrakar: Seven generations, no. For a time spanning for almost 100-150 years ago, I do..
But I don’t have those old paintings from seven generations ago.
Moreover, many of the paintings have already been bought by museums.
Social issues like pulse polio, the Kanyashree policy, afforestation, HIV AIDS, malaria, are what we paint on.
I mean, we usually paint on contemporary social issues which are extremely pertinent.
Interviewer: Do you think that patuas have been able to hold on to the quality of paintings?
Are the contemporary paintings as good as they were fifty years back?
Bapi Chitrakar: The quality has improved.
Nowadays, there’s a certain market value attached to patas.. Obviously, the quality has to improve.
We feel happy that we can now afford to send our children to schools.
So, we want to sell more patas, satisfy customers and be able to provide our children with further education.
Interviewer: Okay, so when you paint these patachitra…
Bapi Chitrakar: We compose songs first.
We think of the theme first, on which the song is to be composed –
a song which would be able to entertain people.
For instance, while composing this patachitra on the wedding of the fishes, I reflected on the theme first.
The theme should be entertaining enough.
Painting comes only at the last stage.
We have to provide with the visuals too, right? We think of a theme first, then paint images and finally tag the song
along with the painting.
Patachitras are either sold or preserved in a museum.
Interviewer: Do you decide right at the beginning whether you want a certain pata to be sold or kept aside for yourself?
Bapi Chitrakar: At first, we concentrate solely on the painting.
We then, share it with others and sing the pata songs along.
If a customer feels satisfied, s/he would definitely buy it,
and that is how we would be able to feed our families.
We can always create a second copy of the painting.
But we focus on creating beautiful visual narratives, composing stories, composing songs.
Only when a customer likes it, will the pata get sold.
That is what we subsist on.
If a customer likes it, we can always reproduce another copy.
Interviewer: No, what I meant was… has your father ever kept aside
a painting for himself because it was beautiful?
Bapi Chitrakar: Yes, he has preserved a few patachitras made by my grandfather.
But usually, I sell off the good ones.
But even then, there are a few patas which I have preserved,
with the purpose of displaying it to people.
If they like it, they’ll click pictures and share it with other people.
So, that is the reason.
Interviewer: You mentioned quite a few themes.
But personally, which theme do you like to paint on?
Bapi Chitrakar: I like painting patachitras on mythological themes, but,
however, I prefer painting on contemporary themes more.
We have mythological patas on the Manasa Mangal, the. Ramayana, Krishna Leela, Savitri-Satyavan.
People haven’t witnessed theses events as such and they are aware that these are mythological stories.
The contemporary themes comprise of issues like the pulse polio vaccination,
the wedding of fishes, the wedding of birds, the demolition of the World Trade Centre on 9/11.
There’s a certain sense of curiosity amongst people regarding new patas.
During Durga Puja, people dress up in new attires, visit new pandals, and try out new cuisines.
Similarly, when a new patachitra is composed and is displayed, people feel happy.
We, the patuas feel excited about presenting our new work.
In return, we get appreciated for our work, our songs.
Interviewer: Suppose you compose two patachitras – one on a saree and another on a long scroll.
Which one do you think would be preferred by the customers?
Do you think they’ll be paying a huge sum for the saree?
Or do you think that the scroll would fetch a better amount?
Bapi Chitrakar: When I am devoting fifteen to twenty days to painting a pata,
(for instance, the wedding of fishes) my effort would be acknowledged and appreciated by customers.
Any one, be it a man or woman would prefer a scroll,
because s/he would have an entire story, a song if s/he buys a scroll.
Moreover, s/he will be able to decorate her room with the scroll or even display it in a museum.
Or they can even gift to a friend.
When a scroll gets sold, I feel motivated to reproduce the painting.
When a scroll gets sold, it fetches a handsome amount
and I feel relaxed that I’ll be able to manage my expenses better.
If I paint on a t-shirt, I’ll have to paint on at least five of them.
That would fetch me a maximum of two thousand rupees,
whereas a long scroll would get sold at a price ranging
from two thousand five hundred rupees to ten thousand rupees.
That would obviously be better.
Interviewer: Who are your potential customers?
Bapi Chitrakar: People buy patas for exhibitions.
We have customers coming from various parts of the country.
Often students buy patas with the purpose of gifting it to someone.
There are customers from foreign countries as well.
We have customers from the USA, France, Germany, UK and so on and so forth.
They seem interested in the songs and the colours that are used for painting.
They know that buying patas would not only provide them with a sense of satisfaction, but would also help us feed our families.
That’s why, a lot of foreign tourists end up buying patas from us.
Could you please tell us about the colours that are used?. How are they prepared?
Bapi Chitrakar: These are all-natural dyes.
For instance, we obtain the yellow colour from turmeric.
We mix the resin of the Bengal quince with the colour.
After plucking the unripe fruit from the tree, we extract its pulp and de-seed it.
We then boil it and let it dry.
We store that in a bottle.
We use the shell of a coconut to mix colours and this resin.
We get this green colour by grounding the seeds of lima beans.
We mix that paste and the resin of Bengal quince in a coconut shell and that is how we get this green colour.
When we grind turmeric into a paste, we get the colour yellow.
It is then boiled, stored in a coconut shell and is mixed with resin and water.
We get the yellow colour.
If we want a burnt sienna colour (brownish red),
we need to mix the paste of the bark of teak, a burnt kind of soil, resin and lime.
We get this colour.(points)
It often has a blackish hue.
We get the colour blue by pounding the flowers of butterfly pea.
In a similar process, the flowers have to be ground, boiled and then mixed with resin.
That is how we get the blue colour.
Black colour can be obtained by burning rice and then pounding it into powder.
That powder has to be diluted with water and boiled and then, finally has to be mixed with resin.
For an ash like colour,
there’s a certain kind of soil that can be found by the sides of a pond.
There’s a certain variety of soil, which has to be ground into
a powder and mixed with the resin of Bengal quince and soot.
That is how we get black/dark ash colour.
Again, in order to get red colour, we have to mix it with the seeds of vine spinach.
We pound the ripe seeds until the juice comes out and mix it with resin and water.
That is how the pink colour is obtained.
There’s another colour – burnt sienna that we get from a plant.
That plant was first introduced to us, by people from the. IIT Kharagpur.
We get that colour from saffron.
Saffron is usually used as a food colour, in Biriyanis.
Mixed with resin on ripening, saffron yields a deep reddish-brown hue.
Interviewer: Do you believe that the tradition of patachitra would be carried on by the next generation?
Bapi Chitrakar: Yes, they’ll gladly carry on the tradition.
They are witnessing how various people flock together to admire our work.
People from foreign countries also visit us and appreciate our work.
We are being widely photographed and are works are being shown on the television.
It has been telecasted on several channels like the National. Geographic Channel, Aaj Tak, DD Bangla, Tara Music, etc.
So, the next generation is getting a message that it is something which is going to fetch them fame and recognition.
Moreover, if they get educated, they’ll be able to follow all the signboards when they visit a foreign country.
They won’t have to go around asking people for directions.
They’ll be able to understand it themselves.
They’ll know where exactly a certain landmark (museum) is and also what other tourist spots are there to be visited.
They’d be able to follow maps easily and would be able to commute in trains without any hassle.
My children also want to get educated, to get enrolled in a college, to practise painting and pata songs,
and also to visit foreign countries.. They want to ensure that their parents are happy.
They are very responsible and more eager than us.
Interviewer: Do you teach patachitra (particularly, your painting style) to your children?
YBapi Chitrakar: Yes.
When we paint our patas, they sit by us and learn the strokes.
They also learn the songs by heart.
Whenever a guest comes, they sing a couple of lines of what they have learnt from their father.
They also want their paintings to get sold, so that they don’t have to rely on their father for financial assistance
but can partially afford their expenses.
My children have witnessed how people from other places visit and collaborate with us.
They are equally keen on getting associated with patachitra.
Interviewer: Okay.
That means that they are interested in patachitra.
Bapi Chitrakar: Yes, they themselves feel the urge to carry on with patachitra.
They want their parents to teach them this art which has been preserved and practiced for all these years.
They like it.
Interviewer: You make your own colours.
Do your children know the techniques as well?
Baoi Chitrakar: Yes, they do.
The next generation seems to be thoroughly enjoying this, then.
We teach them.
There are often foreign delegates who put up for three to five days and work with us in collaboration.
We have workshops conducted by members of various universities –
universities of Italy, France, Oxford, London, etc.
We teach them our art forms.
In return, they also teach us their songs, their paintings.
A cultural exchange takes place.
Interviewer: Does the next generation blindly copy whatever they have been taught?
Or do they compose their own patas as well?
Bapi Chitrakar: Children, too, compose their own songs.
They feel happy about this.
Our children belong to the seventh generation, whereas we belong to the sixth generation.
There are certain patas which are worked on collectively,
whereas there are some other patas which are made individually.
Interviewer: How do you decide which pata to compose individually and which one to compose collectively?
Bapi Chitrakar: The mythological patas on Manasa Mangal, the Ramayana are the ones which are composed collectively.
But patas on themes like the wedding of fishes, the wedding of birds, tsunami,
pulse polio vaccination, the demolition of the World Trade. Centre etc, are all products of individual enterprise.
But mythological patas based on the stories of. Savitri-Satyavan,
Manasa Mangal had to be composed according to a certain rhythm.
Therefore, it required groups of ten to fifteen people to sing the song.
Because in those songs there are parts for many people to sing.
Interviewer: Does it benefit you more if you compose a pata completely on your own, without involving anyone else?
Bapi Chitrakar:The patas on contemporary social issues are composed by individuals.
But in mythological patas, several other patuas are required.
It requires collective effort.
Each individual has to sing a different portion from the pata song.
Interviewer: Do you only compose patas on mythological topics or do you compose on contemporary topics as well?
Are your patachitras based on what you come across every day (like farmers)?
Bapi Chitrakar:Yes, we compose on themes that are relatable.
For instance, we have patas on afforestation and its advantages.
We narrate patas on how important afforestation is – how it helps maintain bio-diversity.
We narrate how fishes and birds benefit from this.
Forests provide shelters to animals.. Where would they go if forests are wiped off?
Our pata on afforestation narrates that if
a tree is cut down, a hundred more should be planted in its place.
Trees give us flowers, fruits, oxygen to breathe in and also provide us with shade.
So, we have made a painting on this.
Interviewer: Do you have a song on this as well?
Bapi Chitrakar: Yes, there’s a pata song on this.
It has a story.
It depicts the various utilities of trees – of how it provides with shade,
of how it can be used as fuel, as medicines, as timber.
It gives us shade from sun and oxygen.
So, this is what the pata on afforestation depicts.
Do you ever select episodes from mythologies and use them as examples to state something?
For instance, we have an episode in the Ramayana where. Lakshman got injured and Hanuman lifted
an entire mountain and brought a magical herb, Sanjeevani that could revive Lakshman’s health.
Interviewer: So, do you use episodes like these to propagate certain causes?
Bapi Chitrakar: Yes, I have made paintings on the bridge-building episode from the Ramayana.
Interviewer: How long does it take to complete a pata?
Bapi Chitrakar: It took me twenty days to complete this pata on the wedding of fishes.
But depicting the entire story of the Ramayana takes about 3-3.5 months.
Interviewer: How long does it take to prepare these dyes?
Bapi Chitrakar: It takes a minimum of 1-1.5 months to prepare these dyes.
Interviewer: Okay. So, you have to prepare them well ahead of time.
Bapi Chitrakar: Yes.
We are not able to prepare these dyes during the monsoon.
So, we need to be ready with the colours at least three to four months before we start composing our patas.
We keep our colours stored in bottles or jars like these for use in the coming 5-6 months.
Interviewer: What about this painting? How long would it take to complete this?
Bapi Chitrakar: I’ll be able to complete this within the next ten to fifteen days.
Some students from Italy and London would be coming on the 11th.
Students from Kolkata also come to this place, just like you did.
Yesterday, five people came down to Naya to buy patas.
Sometimes, I travel to other places like Delhi, Mumbai to sell my patas.
Recently, I came back from Coimbatore and Chennai.
I participate in several others fairs that are held in. Kolkata.
Interviewer: Where do you get to know about these exhibitions and fairs?
Bapi Chitrakar: You came from IIT Kharagpur and filmed this documentary.
We’ll get recognition this way.
Similarly, people who come here inform us about fairs and exhibitions that are held at various corners.
Interviewer: Do people come down to Naya to buy patas or do you travel to other places to sell your paintings?
Bapi Chitrakar: It works both ways.
There are customers who come down to buy our patas.. We, too, have to travel to places to sell our paintings.
Interviewer: Do you concentrate solely on patachitra? Or is there any other profession that you are involved in?
Bapi Chitrakar: No, I practice farming as well.

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