In a silent town in Bihar, the scent of turmeric adds in the fresh air. An artist sits in front of her house with handmade paper. She is not simply painting to earn money. She is painting a story which some people might think of as a ritual or a protest or a prayer. This is the story of Madhubani art. This is the story of women who passed their traditions, not with ink, but with a paint brush which showcased their diligence, resilience and patience.
Sita Devi
Sita devi is one of the first known Madhubani artists. Her journey of art began with painting the pictures of Gods like Sri Krishna or God Shiva on the walls of her house. She thought of the walls as her personal canvas. She was married into a conservative family in the 1930’s which had its own restrictions. Sita Devi said in her interview that she neither knew nor cared about earning prosperity or having her own art gallery. The only thing she wanted was to tell stories. After three decades, there came a drought in the 1960’s. A British NGO worker came by her village, took interest in her work and told her that it can give her good money. Since her family needed money, they allowed her and her work began to get tons of attention. In fact, she had customers who ordered it from Paris. All the gods, goddesses, forests and fish that she drew carried the heart of Madhubani within them. She won the Padma Shri in 1981 and she became the most known woman in the state because of her gorgeous work.
Dulari Devi
Dulari Devi lived a tragic life since her childhood. Since she was born into a fisherman or Mallah caste, she was married off as a child bride. She lost her first baby. Due to less money, she had to work as a house help in the home of a Madhubani artist. She carefully observed the work done by her employer like the colors used, the patterns created, the lining and the paintings which seemed to say something to her. Her employer, Mahasundari Devi, took notice of her interest and encouraged her to paint. She provided her with all the necessary materials. Dulari painted the generic naturistic and story-oriented drawings but she also painted the pleas and sufferings of a woman trapped in a caste-ridden society. Today she is a Padma Shri awardee, a teacher and woman who quietly works for good change.
Baua Devi
We may call Baua Devi’s story rebellious in nature but true to its form. She painted the fire that was present in her heart using the boldest acrylic colors like red, orange and sharp black which adds a dramatic touch to her work. She herself believes that art helped her understand herself. She paints the crude and harsh realities of life like women feeling immense pain as they give birth or widows walking alone or women carrying their dead husbands. Her work is filled with such poignancy that international artists of Japan, France and Germany hang them on their walls. Today she is proud of the fact that her nieces and granddaughters can freely dream and they do not have to suffer like she did from societal norms.
In conclusion, these are only three stories of the billion stories that may exist in Mithila today regarding Madhubani art. However, these stories depict how art can help in financially protecting oneself. These women are an inspiration to everyone.
Author
Shreeja Mukherjee