Madhubani art was traditionally known as Mithila painting, as it originated in its namesake Mithila region, which falls in modern day Bihar and Nepal. Eye-catching patterns, bright colours and geometrical shapes are some of the hallmarks of this form of art. Natural dyes derived from flowers and plants, turmeric, indigo etc, are used for creating the brighter colours in this style of painting. While other natural pigments like ochre and lampblack are used for brown and black. Sandal wood and rice powder are used for the muted shades. Not just brushes, but fingers, twigs, matchsticks and even pen nibs are used for painting in the Madhubani style.

The word ‘Madhubani’ is derived from ‘Madhuban’. It literally means the ‘forest of honey’. In Hindi ‘Madhu’ means honey and ‘Ban’ means forest.

Originally, Madhubani painting was a form of wall art that was done on mud walls and floors on special occasions. In the contemporary era, Madhubani painting has found its way into cloth, canvas, handmade paper and other formats. Now, it is not merely a successful art form, but a thriving business as well.

Human beings, their connection with nature, and various scenes from Hindu epics, are some of the primary subjects of Madhubani art. The first reference to Madhubani paintings can be found in the Ramayana, when Sita’s father, King Janaka, asks his painters to create a Madhubani painting to celebrate his daughter’s wedding. Gradually, this art form was used to celebrate important events in not just the palace, but in the community, family events and festivals in this region — be it weddings, Upanayana, Holi, Kali Puja or Durga Puja. Since it was initially a kind of wall art, the women of the family primarily practiced it. They passed down the knowledge from generation to generation.

Unlike a lot of other art forms, Madhubani paintings have remained restricted to a certain geographical region. Hence, its style and themes have not varied drastically with changing times. Bharni, Tantrik, Katchni, Kohbar and Godna are the five main styles of Madhubani art. Of these, the first three styles, Bharni, Tantrik and Katchni were traditionally practiced by the upper caste women of this region, while the other two styles, Kohbar and Godna, flourished among women belonging to the other castes. Hence, there was a difference in the story and story-telling elements of these styles.

The upper caste women’s paintings focused more on flora, fauna, gods and goddesses. The lower caste women’s paintings were more intimate – they were a mix of their daily life, symbols from their surroundings and popular, rooted stories like that of the village guard Raja Shailesh. With globalization, and increased demand for this art form, the caste lines have blurred and there isn’t much difference in the themes in the Madhubani style now. However, Madhubani art is one of those rare examples where women have been the dynamic catalysts of an aesthetic genre, and thereby created a niche for themselves in the social collective.

   Madhubani is a women dominated art, from Jagdamba Devi from Jitwarpur, Bihar, who received the Padma Shri in 1975, to Sita Devi, who was also from the same region, and was awarded the Padma Shri in 1981, in each generation women have scaled new heights and have been recognized and awarded because of their excellence in Madhubani art. Sita Devi took the Bharni form of Madhubani painting all over the world. She was also the reason her village Jitwarpur had its first primary and secondary school, got paved roads, and, finally, electricity. She also taught 1000 villagers from her region the Madhubani art form, and helped empower them. Ganga Devi was also honored with the Padma Shri in 1984. She travelled all over the world with her art, including the Festival of India in the US.

She helped in popularizing Madhubani art on a global platform. Mahasundara Devi, another famous exponent of Madhubani paintings, was awarded the Padma Shri in 2011; she shed her veil to perfect this art form in 1961. She founded the Mithila Hastashilp Kalakar Audyogki Sahyog Samiti to support the growth and development of artists practicing Madhubani painting. In some places, like the village of Ranti in Bihar, Madhubani paintings have become a tool for not just empowering women, but also to create awareness about social issues and bring about a change.

Artists from this tiny village have impressed and inspired people not just in this region, but also all over the world. The works of Madhubani artists like Karpuri Devi, Dulari and Mahalaxmi can be found all the way in the museums of Japan. Villages like Ranti, Benipatti and Vaidehi in Madhubani district are some of the important places in this region that teach and practice this art form.

While most of Madhubani art sticks to the traditional practice of illustrating scenes from Hindu epics, artists like Malvika Raj are breaking the mould. Malvika, a Dalit woman artist from Samastipur, has been revolutionizing the genre by illustrating folklore about Buddha. This has risen the heckles of mainstream Madhubani artists. As a feminist she supports women’s empowerment.

However, she believes that Dalit women practicing Madhubani art “are facing three-fold inequality and suppression – first, they are Dalits; next, they are women, and, lastly, the majority are uneducated and poor”. Mahalaxmi is also creating ripples in contemporary times. She uses her paintings to highlight problems like lack of education and street harassment. When asked about why she doesn’t focus on traditional mythological themes, she said in an interview: “Ahalya was a beautiful woman who had been cursed and turned to stone. She was ultimately liberated by the touch of Lord Ram. But why should a woman wait for anyone to ‘rescue’ her? I truly believe that the time has come for us, women, to be our own Ram and free ourselves from the shackles of patriarchy.”

Artists like Bharti Dayal and Avinash Karn have also helped in taking Madhubani art to many global platforms. Bharti Dayal has been painting the Bihar pavilion at the International Trade Fair in New Delhi for the last seven years. She won the national award for her creative work. Avinash is a rising folk artist and part of the new generation of men who have been influenced by talented women in his family. He celebrates women in his work like ‘A Dreaming Mother’, and the faded memories of his childhood in Ranti — ‘Fair of My Village’.

Artists like Ravi Kattakuri are keeping the art form alive in his own way. He is known for his paintings of striking feminine faces done in the Madhubani style. Among his latest works are 12 nude portraits that were recently showcased in a three-day exhibition at the Department of Fine Arts of Andhra University. His paintings have been showcased in various countries like Greece, Switzerland, Malaysia, South Korea and China. They were displayed at the Olympic Fine Arts Gallery at the Beijing Olympic Games.

There are also inspirational women like Ihitashri Shandilya who quit her successful job at IBM to promote and empower the women who practice Madhubani art. During her maternity leave, Ihitashri happened to be at her Grandmother Gauri Mishra’s house in Bihar. Her grandmother had founded SEWA Mithila, the first NGO in Madhubani, which had for years been looking for a plan to help the women of this region sustain themselves successfully with the help of Madhubani art. Ihitashri had worked with an NGO earlier in her life. She realized that with her grandmother’s retirement the art form was no longer getting the recognition as her grandmother had once hoped. She also recognized how important Madhubani art was to the women of this region; almost 15,000 women aided by SEWA Mithila are eking their livelihood from Madhubani paintings. With Gauri Mishra’s failing health, these women’s work came to a halt.

While, still working with IBM, Ihitashri set up a gallery that she catered to in the evening. Upon realizing that the gallery needed more attention, she dedicated herself to it fulltime. She upgraded her business from a B2C to a B2B model, and diversified into the international market with two brands.

Ihitashri has not only provided employment and independence to numerous women of Madhubani, but has taken Madhubani art to the world without losing the stories of the women behind it. She emphasizes on showcasing the women who create this art as much as the Madhubani paintings.  She also founded the organization, MITHILAsmita, which means ‘The Pride of Mithila,’ in her endeavors to preserve and protect this art form.MITHILAsmita is a New Delhi-based folk art preservation organization that is trying to promote Madhubani art, as well as preserve it in its original form. Apart from their online store — www.worldofmadhubani.com — they have made a unique Folk Art Gallery in Bangalore. They hold exhibitions in different parts of India and the world to promote Madhubani art.

Rubin Museum of Art in New York and Jaya He GVK Museum Store in Mumbai, are among the prestigious places where they have held exhibitions of Madhubani art. MITHILAsmita aims to help both rural artisans who earn their livelihood through this art form, as well as aid scholars around the world in their research and understanding of the art of the Mithila region. Ihitashri stresses on how the artists of this region have no education in art history; they lack proper marketing knowledge and work for incredibly low remuneration. Through MITHILAsmita she aims to help the artists of Madhubani overcome these challenges. The organization also helps to conduct seminars, conferences and lectures to help budding entrepreneurs develop their model using the Madhubani art form.Artist and entrepreneur Usha Jha, who hails from a small village on the Bihar-Nepal border, has helped in preserving this art form in her own way. She began the company, Petals Craft, from her house in Patna in 1991. Today, her business has improved and modernized so much that they do Madhubani painting on 50 different products. Form lamps to bags, sarees to coasters, she has truly commercialized Madhubani art.

While these are very popular within the country and internationally, there is the fear of losing the essence of Madhubani by pandering to the commercial needs of the market and customers with no knowledge of the deeper intricacies of this ancient art form. Usha feels that the digital age has really helped her and Madhubani art. Today, she can communicate and co-ordinate with her artists on WhatsApp, sell her wares on a digital platform, and reach a much wider audience rather than going from door to door. Her message to the women out there is simple: “If I can do it, so can you.” While the changing landscape of Madhubani paintings may seem scary to some, it inspires more awe than fear. The stories in today’s art forms from Mithila are far more diverse and capable of driving change, than the ones in earlier times. And this should be encouraged, instead of suppressed.

The artisan industry is the second largest industry after agriculture in developing nations like India. Census data suggests that 55% of the 66.86 lakh artisans in India are women. It is a largely unorganized sector, and has only 2% share of the world’s $400 billion handmade industry, whereas a country like China has almost 30% share of the same market. Recently, Patna university has proposed to start a certificate course in fine arts that will teach Madhubani painting, along with other local arts. This will give an immense boost in helping to preserve this art form among the younger generation.

Besides expos and exhibitions, and the Traditional Art Entrepreneurship Summit which was organized last year by MITHILAsmita in collaboration with NDIM, New Delhi and ZUYD University, Netherlands, there needs to be more attention and help given to the artisans by The Handicrafts Board of India and other government organizations. Whether it is Kalamkari from Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh or Warli from the western ghats of Maharashtra, Patachitra scroll paintings from Odisha and West Bengal or Madhubani from Bihar, folk art forms need the attention and care of their respective state governments and the consistent support of the country to thrive. Indeed, Indian Railways flagged off the Bihar Sampark Kranti Express on August 23, 2018 with nine coaches adorned with Madhubani paintings, celebrating folk art from the Mithila region. Art has the power to inspire hope, joy, dreams and bring about change. But folk art carries with it the additional mantle of thousands of years of heritage and cultural legacy.

French-American artist and sculptor Louise Bourgeois once said, “To be an artist, you need to exist in a world of silence.” However, for folk art to survive and flourish there needs to be deeper sensitivity and awareness about its raw and refined aesthetics all over the world.