How Madhubani's Accidental Artists Became Award Winners?

Originally published here

Women of Madhubani are not artists by design. Many upper caste?women started noting down their daily rituals and celebrations as pictures on walls and floors in the middle ages. It is said that this practice originated when king Janaka got women to deck up his palace to celebrate Ram and Sita’s marriage. Soon, it became a tradition and Mithila art became all about women, goddesses, brides and grooms, writes American ethnologist?Carolyn Brown.

Till an earthquake threw open the broken pieces of richly decorated walls to the eyes of young British civil servant WG Archer in the 1930s. He wrote in an art magazine about the origins of the art form, creating some buzz but not much changed. Mithila women went on with their domestic painting and entered the commercial arena only when famine ravaged Bihar in the 1960s. Encouraged by handicraft board officials like Bhaskar Kulkarni, some of the women started putting down their?Bharni?and?Kachni designs on canvas and became instant stars who could earn a living and a professional identity. Dalit communities like Dusadhs and Chamar were supported by many, including anthropologist Erika Moser to copy their upper caste counterparts and thus were born?Godna?(tattoo) and?Gobar?(cowdung wash) paintings depicting subaltern lives and motifs.

The strict caste divisions are long gone. What's left is a desire to learn and get better, says?Catterfly master artist Hema Devi?who recently received the?Bihar State award for paper mache. She talks to?Catterfly CEO Nitin Pradhan (Catterfly Madhubani Open House) about her life, artistic journey and how each award helps her to do more.

How did you learn to paint & who was your teacher?

I was 15 years old when I started learning from my mother, who is an artist. I would sit with her and paint on ‘reject’ paper. I would copy what she was doing. As a girl in Rashidpur village, you couldn’t go out. Once I finished my lessons, there would be no timepass. I liked my mother’s work so I would sit with her and learn. She was happy to teach as she also wanted us to learn and move forward in life. I would ask her where is kachni, where to put colour. I would make mistakes – draw crooked, forget colour, miss design – and she would scold. I have learnt from her daands (scolds) and reached this far.

What are the common principles of making Madhubani, which seems to be a free-flowing art form?

There are no rules as you have to do as per your mind. I will keep working on a painting and think about what would make it look good. There are no rules that there should be a design here and a colour there. It is our own ideas on what makes a painting looks good that works.

You have received state and national awards. When are you applying for Padma Shri?

Anyone can apply once the date is out and local officials have to certify your application. Everything is online now. I haven’t applied for it yet. I think I need to do more work and I have been thinking about it.

Does life change after you get an award?

Yes it changes. You get more support when you get an award. If you go to an office, a Padma awardee gets first priority. If there is work to be done, I am approached first in Patna because I am the only national awardee there. Only if I say ‘no’, it goes to another artist.

Also, government supports a lot by allotting stalls free of cost to awardees at art and craft bazaars at Dilli Haat and Surajkund (both in Delhi). You can put your board outside and you get travel and food allowances also. They are also helping us sell online. It is good support from the government. (See Hemaji’s Works)

What kinds of Madhubani paintings are in demand?

I do small?kachni?(mostly black and red) paintings of elephants, peacocks. The peacock takes me three days to finish. There are?Godna?paintings, folders with?Bharni designs, laptop bags with Bharni, and dupattas in silk and khadi cotton. Dupattas get sold all the time and not just during Diwali-Dussehra as they are something that can be used any time. (Buy Hemaji’s Works)

Have you travelled abroad and how has been the response from foreigners to your art?

Madhubani is well-known and appreciated abroad. I have gone only to Amsterdam and they liked it very much. Many were surprised that I had come all the way from Madhubani to show my art. They were so happy to when I did a demonstration. The sale was good as well.

What will make your life better? Any wish lists?

I have realized that whatever you have achieved so far, helps you get more. I got the state award and it helped me win the national award. I realize that national award would help me with my Padma application. Now I have my own website. All these will help.

Watch out for Catterfly’s upcoming Madhubani Art Residency in Delhi on December 4-5 where you will get to learn from Hema Devi in person. Contact for sign-up & product catalogue: +916393897910.

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Nitin Pradhan is a keen traveller & observer of authentic experiences in Travel.Art.Culture. He forges sustainable tie-ups with traditional Indian artists & Experience curators to take art & travel to a wider audience looking to learn & soak in rich experiences. He is the CEO-Founder of travel-culture company Catterfly and IIM-C alum. Connect with Nitin on?LinkedIn, and Facebook.