Khadi panel move to benefit Mithila painting artists

By C S Jha ‘Azad’

Madhubani: The initiative taken by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), Government of India, is likely to revive the almost 'dead khadi' industry in the state.

The move is likely to benefit the artists of Mithila painting in Madhubani district mostly. Hundreds of such artists of the district, majority of them women, would be freed from the clutches of 'middlemen' by this move and get proper remuneration of their products. To implement the scheme in a phase-wise manner, the All India Khadi Gramodyoga Board, the nodal agency for the project, has shortlisted Madhubani district in the first phase followed by Darbhanga and Sitamarhi districts in the second phase.

As per the plan, a cluster of artists would be formed and a total of Rs10 crore would be spent on them during a span of five years. About 1,000 artists from the district will form the cluster, said KVIC PRO S C Jha here.

He said an extensive survey of villages of the district was conducted by Bihar State Khadi Board director R S Pandey, between August 7-8 last and he alongwith Vijay Kumar Singh, deputy development officer, State Khadi Board, is contacting artists from Ranti, Jitwarpur, Mangarauni, Pilakhwar and other villages of Mithilanchal since September 3 last with a view to persuading them to join the programme.

Several private agencies of Madhubani, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi and Bhagalpur would provide silk and other raw materials directly to these artists and the finished products with Mithila paintings on them would then be sent to the Board's Delhi-based sales outlet in Connaught place for marketing, said the PRO.

Jha said 100 pieces of silk saris and 100 pieces of dress materials have already been made available to about 50 selected artists of different villages for making Mithila paintings on them.

These items would be put on display at an 'Exhibition-cum-Sale' at Khadi Gramodyoga Bhawan, Connaught Place, New Delhi, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2.