Exhibiting at David Art Gallery in Fort Kochi Recently

The Handmade Collective is back in Kochi: Some of my select Madhubani Paintings available at the show

Kids at Madhubani Workshop at Handmade Collective Event Nov 27 to Nov 30, Bangalore

It was an overwhelming experience to see the sheer enthusiasm of kids towards Madhubani Art. They spent several hours at the event coloring some of the paintings.

4th edition of The Handmade Collective is back: Some of my Madhubani Paintings available at the show

The 4th edition of The Handmade Collective is back. The only festival that is singularly focused on celebrating "Handmade". Their new venue is a delightfully charming Old Bangalore space. Over 65 creators from across the country, packed with Workshops, Evening Teas, Coffee Mornings, The Dirty Your Hands programme for kids, Talks, Installations

Annual India Sale on at Novica: Some of my Madhubani paintings available

 http://paintings.novica.com/madhubani/india/

At Sunday Soul Sante Event in Bangalore

Madhubani Paintings at Sunday Soul Sante in Bangalore on November 10, 2013 (Sunday)

Displaying some of my select Madhubani Paintings at this Show

http://www.sundaysoulsante.com/

My Madhubani painting "Tree of Life" is on the cover of just released Delhi University's Foundation Course book on "Indian History and Culture" published by Ratna Sagar publication.

This painting  is available on Novica's 

http://www.novica.com/itemdetail/index.cfm?pid=182182

Expertise in the Mithila art to be the Main Criteria for Selection

By Pranava Kumar Chaudhary, TNN Oct 6, 2013, 08.18PM IST

PATNA: The proposed 'Mithila Chitrakala Sansthan' (MCS) in Madhubani district would be first of its kind autonomous institute in the country in which faculty members (acclaimed artists) will not be selected on the basis of the their academic qualification but for their expertise in the art of painting. The 'sansthan' would aim to provide direct market linkage to the artists.

The proposal to set up MCS was cleared by the state cabinet last week. Last year, CM Nitish Kumar had announced to set up an institute to preserve and develop Madhubani art which will be later granted university status.

The exact venue of the MCS would the famous Saurath Sabha barely six km north-west of Madhubani district headquarters. Saurath Sabha used to attract thousands of Maithil Brahmins from all over the country during each marriage season to negotiate the marriages of their sons and daughters. The tradition of Saurath Sabha survived till the late 1980s.

'Dastkar', a society for crafts and crafts people, which aims at improving the economic status of crafts people to ensure the survival of traditional crafts, has been made consultant of this project which would be developed on a six acre plot, said state art and culture secretary Chanchal Kumar. It was founded in 1981 by six women who worked in the craft and development sector.

Two courses- one of six year certificate and another one year course, would be introduced which would be taught by experts from the places of its origin Ranti and Jitwarpur. "One of the highlights of the MCS faculty members would be the sole criteria of their experience in art not traditional academic qualifications," Kumar told TOI.

"The process to shortlist them on the basis of their competence in art would be a herculion task.There are so many talented artists in the villages of Madhubani district itself," said Anjani K Singh, a nodal officer of this project. This institute would be set up under Registration of Societies Act which will have residential facilities, hostel, museum, demonstration and marketing centres (workshop), exhibition hall and administrative building.

"It will follow the traditional 'guru shishya parampara'. The standardisation of the art work would be fixed and artists would be getting direct market linkages to sell their products. This has been done to do away with middlemen," Kumar said.

It would also be a seed centre for the promotion of dying folk arts of Bihar including Manjusha and Godhana, Brahmin, dalit and kayastha style of paintings. It would also provide a training and learning centre for budding artists from India and abroad.

Madhubani painting is done with fingers, twigs, nib-pens, matchsticks and brushes made of bamboo stick with cotton or strips of cloth wrapped around it.

Source: Times of India

Facebook Group Jai Bihar's Post

Jai Bihar Blog

On popular demand, my all time favorite Ardhnareshwar coming back soon..

Ardhnareshwar would be available soon on Novica site

Madhubani Journals for Corporate Gifting

Surya the Sun

Elephant Duet

Wonders of Nature

Photoshoot for a leading newspaper

Madhubani Painting Guru Cremated with State Honours

Renowned Madhubani artist Mahasundari Devi, who died Thursday, was cremated with full state honours Friday in Bihar's Madhubani district.

Mahasundari's son Bipin Kumar Das lit the funeral pyre in the presence of thousands of people, including Bihar Minister Nitish Mishra.

Mahasundari, 82, died at a private nursing home in Madhubani.

She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2011 for her contribution to the art form.

Mahasundari was a born artist and would even as a child draw designs like Kohbar, Baans, Sita Swayamvar, Radha-Krishna on the mud walls of her house on ceremonial occasions.

According to her son, people from across the country and abroad, regularly visited her to learn Madhubani painting. "She also visited several countries to showcase her Madhubani painting," said Das.

Madhubani paintings date back to the seventh century A.D. Traditionally, they were made on the eve of certain rituals and ceremonies such as pujas, 'brats' (fasts) or weddings. However, in the last few decades, they have been popularised all over the world by famous painters, including Mahasundari Devi, one of the pioneers in this field.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/madhubani-painting-guru-cremated-with-state-honours-113070500752_1.html

Doyenne of Mithila painting Mahasundari Devi dies

TNN | Jul 5, 2013, 03.07 AM IST


MADHUBANI: Keeping ill for the last some months, 92-year-old Padmashri Mahasundari Devi, the doyenne of Mithila painting, breathed her last at her native village, Ranti, near Madhubani on Thursday morning. Her last rites will be performed on Friday, said her eldest son, Bipin Kumar Das. She has left behind a large family including three sons, daughters and grandchildren to mourn her death.

Barely literate, she took to painting when only a child and acquired proficiency in the art form under the guidance of her aunt, Devsundari Devi. She was renowned for her mastery over Sikki work, 'sujani' craft, clay work and paper mache apart from Mithila painting. Apart from over two dozen national and state awards to her credit, the two prestigious awards __ Padmashri and Shilp Guru __ came her way in 2010. Widely travelled, the late Mahasundari Devi did her last painting in 2011, family sources informed.

The news about her death was widely condoled by a cross section of people here. The void created by her death in the social and cultural life of Mithila can hardly be filled up, condolence messages unanimously reflect. Prominent among those who sent prompt reactions on getting the sad news included Narendra Narain Singh 'Nirala', retired district and sessions judge Sachchidanand Jha, retired DIG Chandra Shekhar Das, Lalit Narain Mithila University Teachers Association (LNMUTA) president Chandra Mohan Jha, Kuldhari Singh and Prof S N Mishra.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Doyenne-of-Mithila-painting-Mahasundari-Devi-dies/articleshow/20920615.cms

Coverage in Deccan Herald

Online Link

Mango Collective

A Hundred Hands is organizing Mango Collective- A range of exquisitely Handcrafted products and Homemade goodies inspired by the Mango season. 

I would also be displaying some of my recent Madhubani work based on Mango theme at the show. 

 It is on at Jagriti Theatre in Whitefield, 11 am to 7 pm, 21st to 23rd June.