The fluffy blossoms at Cherry Esplanade was showering us with petals on a slight breeze. Thousands of Cherry Blossom lovers had gathered to celebrate the Spring Blossoming of Kanzan Cherry Trees. We also sat on the fallen blossoms that had touched the green grass under the canopy of Cherry Trees. The Sunshine was trying to peak in but the 70+ Cherry Trees lined at the esplanade were adamant to give it a fight. There are 76 Cherry Trees in the Esplanade and around 200 in the garden.




Sakura Matsuri is an annual Cherry Blossom festival that happens at Botanic Garden that offers 60+ events and performances to celebrate Japanese Culture. The festival marks the end of hanami, the Japanese cultural tradition of enjoying each moment of the cherry blossom season.  Performances such as Tokyo Rock duo , Martial Arts, Colorful Kabuki Buyo dance, Tokyo Magic Show etc was there.

Everyone seems to know about the Cherry Blossom Festival as there were plenty of folks at the venue. There was a flower hat dance(Hanagasa Odori) with the Japanese Folk Dance Institute on Saturday and on Sunday we have Iyomanzai(life celebration dance).

The Cherry Blossom Festival was yesterday and is today (29th, 30th April) , so here are some of my tips and suggestions for the venue:

1)The timings of the festival is from 10-5, please arrive as early as possible.

2)The easiest way to get to Brooklyn Botanic Garden from Manhattan is by taking Subway No 2,3. The nearest station is Eastern Parkway Brooklyn Museum. Do have a look at the walls in the station, they are amazing. 

3)To avoid impromptu long queues for the event please register as a member online or offline ($50 - free entry at all times to Brooklyn Botanic) or buy ticket online ($30).

4)Do not forget to grab the pamphlet that has program schedule.

5)There are two stages in the venue - The Main Stage at Cherry Esplanade and J-lounge Stage at Osborne Garden.

6)Osborne Garden is where we have many shops that has Kokeshi Dolls, Hair Ornaments, Japanese treats, Sushi Pillows, Fine Tees, Pottery, Kimonos.

7)Sakura Eat in the Osborne Garden is where you can have festive selection of Bento Boxes, ramen, Sake Cocktails and Japanese Snacks.

8)If you happen to miss the festival, a very good idea to go to the park before or after the festival to view the cherry Trees. That ways the crowd also would be less.

9) It was sunny and hot yesterday. So carry sunglasses and a sheet to use when sleeping under the trees.

So let's take you live from the venue.




Let's also take you to Sakura Matsuri with my photoessay. I'd be sharing complete vlog and many more pictures from my camera in my next blogpost this week :) This post is for all those who plan to attend it today, please do, its worth going and do arrive early. We had arrived by 11:30 and had to go through crowds. May be if you arrive sharp by 10, 10-30 there would be fewer crowd and you can get your sweet spot under the trees to rest and relax.

If it wasn’t for Bhaskar Kulkarni’s discovery of this art on the walls of Jitwarpur during the inspection of worst drought and famine in Bihar in 1962, this art would have had been a hidden abode of endless talent. Today, we are talking to two extremely talented individuals and their families on how the journey of their recognition of Madhubani art started , their attempts on reviving the art and how they won the awards!

To read previous posts on Bihar: Click here
To read previous posts on Madhubani: Click here

Baua Devi: The renowned Baua Devi from Jitwarpur village has recently been listed for Padmashree. She recalls her early days and her fascination to depicting painting with her mere imagination since the age of 13.

How was madhubani art noticed

She says “It is our tradition our grandmothers used to make, our mothers used to make madhubani painting during the weddings as they would make Kohber and decorate Mandaps. In 1962, when Bihar had a drought, Bhaskar Kulkarni had come from Delhi for research and came to Madhubani. When he came here, since he was from Delhi and with his camera and bag, everyone was caught surprised by him. This gentleman had come with his cameras and he went to everyone’s terrace and took pictures of Kohber and Mandap and said I have come from Delhi . If I give you guys paper would you draw on it. That time there were more elderly artists such as Chachi Sita Devi, Jagdamba Devi, Yamuna Devi etc. I was 13 years old that time.

During those days, the pastime for ladies would be to make sweater etc or to paint. So Bhaskar Kulkarni got us paper and asked us to draw something. Even I drew something on it. And like that he stayed for a week and collected small paintings from many places and travelled to Delhi. In Delhi he went to head office and said that in Bihar, there is a art form and he showed them the paintings and they liked it. So even in next year, they were sent with handmade paper. And we draw one Shiv, one Durga and one Kali and they gave us Rs 14. That was in 1962. Next year he said ‘ Will you come to Delhi, think about it’. So we all 5 we went to Delhi, we were given boards. We worked on it for a month and made paintings. So there were 4 artists from this village and one from Ranti village. We were paid Rs 20/day then and after the painting was over, we were sent back to Patna.

So Bhaskar Kulkarni came again and he said that everyone liked it in Delhi, So from Patna Upendra Mahajan was told that you start an initiative with all the artists here and so with 5-6 room home in Madhubani we started a office.

Artist at the age of 13

So first the art of Sita Devi , Jagdamba devi etc was recognized, I was small, merely a 13 year old. But I was given the appreciation for my art , I was told ‘ Abhi bhot choti hona dimag bhot tej hai, bahot rang birango banati ho, but bahot choti hone bahot age badoge beta. I got married and had kids, so there was a lot of buying selling of painting after some time. Earlier there was nothing in this place, only when Bhaskar Kulkarni came the road developed. I made 2 Naag Naagin that fetched me a national award”



Emphasizing on the culture the village shares, she says “Naag Panchami is our culture, that happens during the month of June”. Dhaan’s lava is made and milk is offered in the hope that the naag remains far away from us and we won’t face any problems. In Science, it is said that Snake is one of the useful insects. snake kills rat and other insects that destroys the crop, so indirectly snake is our helper. Snake hence is seen God in the village. So as a safety precaution, the painting of snake is on our door. This tradition used to village wide earlier, because earlier there were mud homes so till the time the painting stays, it stays. Now they are tiled home, people are wary of ruining them.

Imagination and Stories: A shift from Traditional Artform

Unlike the traditional art forms, Baua devi’s art is full of imagination and creativity. She says Sita Devi, one of the renowned artist had started with Radha Krishna in those time, she hadn’t seen the lord but she made by her own imagination. People started copying that. Today there are lot of copies of Kohber, Raam Sita, Ramayan and Mahabharata - everyone is making them. But she also says not everywhere Kohber would work.




She continued “I also paint stories. Like how Bhaskar Kulkarni came, how he chit chatted, talked, that also I have drawn on a painting. Like when the daughter of Birla Rekha Podhar came- she gave me a theme on how the madhubani painting developed and I painted that. And that painting is today’s in British Library. I make whatever comes in my mind - there are no maps with me - just my imagination and feelings.




Today the paintings are so famous, that, even if she makes a piece it gets sold very fast. Themes like Sursa ( When Hanuman came in Sursa roop) , Naag Kanya(which is very famous in America), Garud painting (legend has it that when lord Krishna was playing , then when he went to get his ball back, the snake has surrounded him so Krishna plays flute and Garud comes).





There are also songs with Madhubani art. When one does not feel like, we do not make it. We make it with heart. She says.She then recites one of her songs that goes with Madhubani Painting. Her passion and love for Madhubani art goes beyond words - it sings!


Of all the artists that we have have who has one awards, the technique is unique for each. While Sita Devi used to do color painting, the base color for Jagdamba Devi was Vegetable Color. Gangadevi from Rasidpur had line work and no color. Ranti's Mahasundari Devi was color on clothes. etc.

So we decided to get into home of Padmashree Awardee Sita Devi . We met Mithilesh Jha (09973734238), his grandson and their family who are carrying forward the tradition of this art.

He says ‘.Madhubani Painting was in the village of Mithilanchal even way before 1962. It used to be on the walls of Mithilanchal, even our grandmothers used to make and even in Ramayan it is mentioned during Sita’s shadi. During weddings, after washing the wall with cow dung, simple paintings such as Kali Ji, Durga Ji etc used to be done. Earlier Madhubani was famous for just two handicraft items - they used to make Tokris with Seekhi grass and Chakra Sut where they used to make wool with cotton, nobody however would pay attention to the walls. So when Bhaskar Kulkarni was sent to Patna by Pupul Jayaker (Pupul Jayakar née Mehta was an Indian cultural activist and writer, best known for her work on the revival of traditional and village arts, handlooms, and handicrafts in post-independence India )  who was chairman of Handicraft then to access the situation of drought , he came to DCP’s place in Patna and in the office of the DCP was a mud vessel on which the painting was there.

This painting was usually done by Brahmins and kept in Bride Grrom’s room. Bhaskar Kulkarni having the designer mind, saw those mud vessels and asked where it is made. He was told ‘This is made in Mithilanchal, it is considered Auspicious there’, So he came to Madhubani and bought a cycle and cycled on the road which that time was mud roads. So when he came to Jitwarpur where the festival was going on and the ladies had gathered to make paintings. My grandmother was then painting on the door. Bhaskar Kulkarni saw it and just as he saw it, he stopped his cycle and he went close to where my grandmother was working.

Untouchability and recognition of art

That time there was a lot of Chuachut (untouchability in the region) . Ladies were not allowed to talk to her Man’s brother, not allowed to venture out and there was pardah. The elderly folks hence almost threw him out, my grandfather asked him why had you gone towards the terrace. Bhaskar Kulkarni replied ‘ This money is relief fund, I have to go to where these ladies are making painting. ‘ He got an idea that since this is relief money why not use it for paintings, and do an exhibition with it to know what is the future of this art. So he said in the same way as these ladies paint on wall, I will give them the paper, let them draw on it. So gave three grades (A),(B),(C) depending on the painting : For A he gave Rs 3, For B Rs 1.5, For C grade( 0.75 Rs). So my grandfather also helped and 10-15 ladies were distributed the raw paper made in Pune.

How did Handmade Paper got its name?

So, how does Handmade Paper gets it name? I found the answer quite surprising. In earlier days, paper was made on Chakla Bellan and with Hand. That time it was very poor, like people used to eat just one meal in a day and would sleep by drinking just water during nights.

Winning the national / international awards

So money started coming in due to art.. Pupul Jayakar who was Indira Gandhi’s adviser, she told about the art and so slowly and slowly ladies and men got into this art. So they held exhibition at many places, So my grandmother was awarded 4 times by Bihar Sarkar. In 1975, she got national award.

In 1976, USA was celebrating 200 years of Independence, it was when India Government was asked if they could send 13 artist. So, madam Pupul Jaykar got one person from each state. My grandmother was also invited to come.

That time there was untouchability in Mithilanchal. The women used to wear Gunghat and was not supposed to talk loudly, not to get out etc. My grandmother said she cannot go ' If something happens, there won't be anyone to bring back my grave'. There was so much untouchability in Mithilanchal, that even if a shadow falls, it would be scolded.

So Pupul Jaykar and Indira Gandhi tried to convince that this gentleman is like your son, but my grandmother persisted that she will not go without her son. She said my son does color combination so he could also help me with art. I won't go alone so cancel my name.

Then there was a head meet of 13 people and my grandfather also got selected. He was then a primary teacher in Mithilanchal and Indira Gandhi suggested that you leave the school there and join Baal Bhavan in Delhi which will also be helpful because Pragati Maidan has exhibitions where you can accompany your wife in exhibiting the art.  My grandfather thought 'Oh she is asking me to shift to Delhi, but I have my whole family and friends here, I cannot'. So he said took leave from the primary school and flew to America with my Grandmother.

There was a theme in US then on the art, which was based on old life and new life. There were also representatives of many counties and they thought if we can select a few and take them to our country and showcase it that would be great. That time with my Grandmother, the famous Bollywood singer Mukesh was also there for his program. There were artists from all over the world from France, Germany, Berlin, Russia etc but my Grandmother was selected among the 4 selected out of 13. So my Grandmother went to France and she was making Painting where one of the writers came and saw it. He came along with my Grandmother to India where he stayed with us from 1976 to Jan 1977, and released a book called the Art of Mithila. He later made a documentary on how marriage happens in Mithilanchal.

So my Grandmother used to go to Pragati Maidan for Exhibition. In 1981, my grandmother made painting in Ashoka Hotel Delhi in the same way, first washing it with cowdung paste and then painting on it. Indira Gandhi saw the paintings in 1981, and my grandmother was selected for Padmashree. In 1984, she won Bihar Ratna.

Japanese museum on Mithila Art in Japan

In 1989, there was one Japanese Tourist who had come here, stayed here for 2-3 months, collected some paintings from here and sold in Japan. Those were instant hit and he made so much profit, that he thought why not capture the daily activities of Mthilanchal and get it inaugurated by Pupul Jaykar and Sita Devi.  He took all the old things from here ( wooden doli, dhaan kutne wala etc) and he shipped everything and started a museum. That museum is called Mithila Museum in Tokyo. So my grandmother went to Japan in 1989 for 4 months.

A Humbling experience:  When Sita Devi , Amitabh Bachan got awards

In 1984, Amitabh Bachan and Sita Devi both got awards together. That time the advisor was Usha Bhagat, she told my grandmother, he is a great actor, you could get your picture clicked with him so my Grandmother said, I got all the awards before him, you are telling I should click my photo with him!

Earlier the artists used to have exhibitions in Pragati Maidan and all of the artists would come, showcase how they work and also would have display of their collection. Once my Grandmother was making a painting, when Amitabh Bachan, Jaya Bachan, Sonia Gandhi had come. So my grandfather started showing some paintings to Amitabh Bachan and he was looking at them one by one in a rather fast way. My grandmother was look at it, and she was patiently making him understand the story behind each. Since my grandmother saw that Amitabh Bachan is a hurry to see one after the next, she got annoyed and my dadi said to my dada ‘ae surdev ae painting sab ke rakha, ye ni letun tether’ (Keep this painting aside he is not going to take any!)

Amitabh Bachan understood that Sita devi got angry. Then Amitabh Bachan said sorry and my grandfather was invited to their home and he said that during the tea time, I would love to get the painting done at my home.




















The Problems artists face today!

The problems these artists face today is in the art that costs Rs 3500 , the middle man gives around Rs 700 after many months of chasing them, sometimes even a year. He said to make one painting the labour cost comes out to be Rs 300/day. So for a painting that can be done in 4 days, we must ideally get Rs 1200, but we get 5% of what we make. When we asked him, why not sell directly online, he said the middle man has become so famous that who will take from us! Plus there are so many copycats, that people would xerox the line drawings and paint on them and sell them..

Madhubani is known as free hand drawing but the appreciation of art or artists in our country falls flat. Even some NGO's add their name to the art and sell them in their name in exhibitions. Looking at in how much apathy these artists live, I hope, and wish that government awakes, and gives these artists their due share someday, so that the art thrives.

Vlog coming on next post! 

                                                     Saxon Switzerland Photo From Shutterstock
               Bridge named Bastei in Saxon Switzerland, at sunrise and the mist over the river Elbe
                             
Just like something out of a fairytale, Germany is a fantastic place to spend any time of the year with so much to see, do and to enjoy.With more than 700,000 tourists and 46% repeated Indian Tourists who come back again, let’s take a closer look at what makes Germany the top 3 travel destinations among 140 countries worldwide according to the survey recently and why we must venture into Germany just right now (before the rest of the world gets to know!!!):

1)Beer


                                              Oktoberfest Photo from Shutterstock 
            Three friends in beer tent at Dult or Oktoberfest holding giant pretzels up in the air          
          
 I had a brief encounter with Frankfurt as a transit airport during my travel to Canada. The first thing that ever came to my mind was I am in Germany, I got to get some beer and next thing I knew was I had this large pint of German Beer to enjoy. I have heard about Oktoberfest and the craziness and celebrations which are part of the festival.

Apart from Oktoberfest in Munich, the smaller towns like Stuttgart also has its own Beer Fest. In a place around Munich you would find a Brewery which monks started in the 1600’s and also the first Brewery where German Purity law came from! Every single region has a local beer and Germany has about 1200 Breweries and 5000 Beer Brands. Keeping in mind the varied interests travelers have, there are about 100 routes like Beer routes that takes you to Beer regions, Wine routes, Fairytale Route(to castles) and Romantic Route etc etc.

2)Breathtaking Fairytale Castles



 There are more than 20,000 castles in Germany in an area which is roughly equal to the area of Rajasthan.

Neuschwanstein Castle and Lichtenstein are some of the popular ones. Neuschwanstein Castle is a nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. If you take a cruise from Frankfurt, every 1 km is a castle and these are hop on hop off cruises.

3)Cuisine




Like in India, every region in Germany has its own cuisine. So next time you are in a restaurant ask them what is the local cuisine of the region. For example, in Franconia of Southern Bavaria, we have dumplings of potatoes also called Franconian Potato Dumplings or "Fränkische Kartoffelknödel” . Franconia wine, traditional potatoes, asparagus are some of the popular ingredients in Franconia. Whereas in Southwest Germany, pasta is more popular. This is a complete list of what regions has what special and what to eat:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_German_dishes

4)It is abundant in nature and is pure

 Germany has got about 16 national parks, 100 nature reserves and 50 UNESCO biosphere reserves. 70% or about 1/3 of the country is covered in woods and meadows. Art of Free Climbing was also invented here. Wonderful Rock Formations can be observed in Saxon Switzerland, Germany. As much as we love to do popular big cities, a breakaway to a smaller picturesque city would give a completely different perspective to your experience. For example, how about eating in a restaurant on Lake Constance and then right after jumping into the lake from the terrace. You can swim in all of the rivers in Germany without any infection. Germany is pure air and pure water.

5)Many Spa Gardens

The concept of Spa Garden is very unique in Lake Constance area of Southwest Germany. You also have a Chinese Garden in Frankfurt!

6)Unique Experiences and Adventure

Imagine having breakfast in the medieval restaurant of a city market, then listening to world class orchestra in the opera, then the Grünes Gewölbe - the unique historic museum (that was destroyed during world war II) and is now restored that contains the largest collection of treasures in Europe. Founded by Augustus the Strong in 1723, it features a rich variety of exhibits from the Baroque to Classicism, then taking the boat ride in the Elbe river to vineyards where wine is manufactured. Next day we take a tour to Saxon Switzerland, where going for an extended walk feels like forever. Mountain Biking is also very popular in the Black forest region of Bavaria where there is a tradition of biking in specialized lanes and programs are organized such that your luggage is transported to your next hotel. Apart from Mountain biking, we have sports such as Skydiving, Paragliding, Bungee Jumping and Snowboarding.

Berlin has more bridges than Venice so Boat ride in Berlin is an experience it itself.

7)Unrivaled Infrastructure and Safe

No where else is traveling as easy and comfortable as it is in Germany. Everything is very in tune for your experience as a traveler. Germany is a place to unwind and not to worry about safety or security whether you come home at night in a small town or whether you are in the mountains or the forests. Foreign tourists are absolutely welcomed in Germany it is a very open minded society. Language also has not become such an issue anymore.

8)Affordable

Affordability gives Germany a competitive edge over other countries in Europe. It’s not just the hotels but the transport too is affordable here with rates ranging from an average of 122 euros / night in Munich and 90 euros / night in Berlin. Whether its entrance tickets or rail tickets, things that you look for in a holiday are mostly affordable. Europa park in Germany is half the price than Disney land Paris for similar experience.

Also, do remember to get city cards in the cities such as Frankfurt and Stuttgart. Due to this factor, Germany today is not just restricted to seasonal traveller but traveller from year around no matter whether its December or January. And lucky part is, since most weddings in India happens during winter time which is the off season for Germany, the prices are comparatively cheaper and what better than to celebrate your destination wedding in a castle which also is one of the primary reasons for the tourists to come here, you can actually stay in a castle!

The peak time to visit Germany is July august due to Summer Vacations both in India and in Germany. The Average spending by Indians in Europe is 1850 euros whereas in Germany itself is 2400 euros, the reason being they see it a lot more affordable and tend to spend more on unique experiences that would build memory and forget counting! For shopping buffs, we have outlet malls with 50% offs in Germany that also attracts tons of tourists.

9)It’s abundant in Cultural Resources,Museums and Celebrations

Germany has got some incredible art, magnificent architecture, amazing depth of its tradition and culture miraculously thriving in the modern Germany. Its the blend of Old with New that makes Germany so appealing. Museums of art and culture are everywhere and you can easily spend the entire day enjoying the masterpieces on display.

Oktoberfest is the world's largest Volksfest. Held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, it is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid or late September to the first weekend in October.The Cologne Carnival (German: Kölner Karneval) is a carnival that takes place every year in Cologne, Germany. You’ll find Christmas markets – quaint little stalls selling seasonal gifts, foodstuffs and spiced wine – Germany likely has the most (Berlin alone has 50) and also some of the best, making it one of the most magical places at Christmas time.

10)Its popular with Indians!

Indians usually do start with Cologne and Blackforest Area. Home of the cuckoo clock, the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) gets its name from its dark, slightly sinister canopy of evergreens. The popular places in this region and around are Freiburg(an excellent base to explore), Baden Baden(fashionable spa town), Stuttgart etc. Second they explore Bavaria like Munich, Neuschwanstein Castle(one of the most visited castles in the world), Zugspitze(highest mountain in the German Alps) followed by Berlin ( for those curious about world war II) and Dresden.



Also, a lot of Indians love the fact that they can self drive with an Indian license that’s valid for 6 months. Indian food also is easy to get in Germany.

Talking on the occasion of their annual press conference , held at German Embassy in New Delhi, Mr. Rmit Theophilus, Director of India(Destination Germany) said “What makes Germany one of the most lucrative choices is the sheer variety of activities, attractions and experiences all available at great value for money. Elaborating on the theme for 2017, Theophilus added” With over 20,000 castles dotting the immaculately splendid German landscape the country boasts of opulence and scenic beauty fit for a fairytale. Add to this spectacular gardens and you can transport yourself to paradise.”

As a front runner in pioneering innovative media campaigns, GNTO, India setup its Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/Germany-Tourism) in 2016 and has already organically accrued a fanbase of over 860000 Indian consumers in under a year. The page which actively engages the fans with contest, interesting trivia and updates on the destination is a melting pot for anything and everything related to travel to Germany.

Home to 6 Padmashree awardees, Madhubani in Bihar is slowly and surely getting recognition for its artwork. Ever wondered why Madhubani art has fishes? During the marriage in a Brahmin community here, one of the compulsory items is Fish (or machli) which is considered auspicious that is also symbolic of good luck and fertility. On the first night of Marriage, the bride and the groom are left in one room for 2-4 hours and that is known as ‘Kohber’. To decorate that Kohber house this art form was used for decades. Years back, the layering on the walls was done with Cow dung and on top of that with the natural colors painting of Machli , Dolika Haar, Radha Krishna etc was done. Everybody in this village knows how to make a simple Kohber, few have taken it to the extent of Mithila Painting. They traditionally used to use natural colors made out of the black char that comes out of making food in the Chulah mixed with Gond ( adhesive)  and water that used to create the paint. Natural colors were also extracted from plants, stones and vegetables. Today, the natural colors are replaced by Fabric colors.


                                                                A student painting Ardhnari Shiv 

If legends are to be believed, the origin of this art form can be traced back to Ramayana. On the occasion of Lord Rama and Sita, King Janak called artists to create paintings on the theme of Marriage. Mithilanchal was the birth place of Sita and Sitamarhi is the place which is named after Sita. 'Sita - marhi' as in 'Sita - Bani' . Marhi means bani. Which is today's nepal was all under Mithilanchal. It is claimed that the king built a tank (water reservoir) at the place where Sita was found. Sitamarhi has a pond and a temple dedicated to Sita. And the king's place was Janakpuri and even today we have a mandap there.

Theme Shift : From Traditional to Contemporary

Kaushik Kumar Jha, the administrator of Mithila Art Institute talks about the shift the art of Madhubani has been witnessing over the years. Earlier the artists used to work only on typical set themes of Ram Vivah, Jaimal, Raas and Kohber and that was getting repetitive. As the people were completely saturated with the choices they had, they started to stop after buying one or two as they would say they already have one Kohber, One Raas so why buy more. Recently there has been shifts in the themes which has become more intune with the contemporary day to day situations or incidents happening worldwide such as Dowry, Corruption, Mumbai Taj Attack, World Trade Center etc conveying a message that art form need not restrict itself to only the traditional folklore anymore. Dr. Kaushik proudly said, that one of the students from the institute have depicted corruption in form of how it happens - there is a no entry board and the truck is coming, the traffic police hand signals the truck, the driver gives money. There is railway reservation counter, the time there was 11, there was a huge queue of people there, but the person is unavailable at the counter. This painting by Supriya Jha has become so famous that it was on the brochure cover of Professor’s Conference in South East Asia comprising of 300 professors at the event.


Vinita Jha tells us that even the cat in Mithila has art within her! Watch my visit to Mithila Art Institute, how the painting is done and what is it that they are looking for in coming years.
 Another such student , who had make him and the institute immensely proud, is the student named Shalinee Kumari who had painted just before Barack Obama became president on what are the problems he was going to face. Since she was from the village, she did not even had the TV. Only news she could hear was on radio. And of all the artists in US, no artists had a solo exhibition of Madhubani Painting but hers was displayed in San Francisco. She was sent a letter and she got a visa for US and she did an exhibition there.



Today 'Shalinee Kumari's' painting is in Whitehouse and we have got Barack Obama’s complimentary letter. 

Dr. Kaushik says these are their achievements they feel great about.

Mithila Art Institute: Where Students Learn

So with that being said, we visited Mithila Art Institute to watch how the students were working on the themes that they were interested in. We were accompanied by Rajnandini, the grand daughter of Sita Devi, who told us people get to know about this institute by word of mouth, either through friends or family. Some folks are so interested that they come here by bus. Rajnandini who is also a student with the institute believes that she gets to work on new theme here even though his family back home is well versed with Madhubani art form in Jitwarpur and she is too, she gets to learn to work on new themes than traditional themes. She fondly tell us, there are two madam’s in the class, but as they say its not just about the painting, but the ability to convey a theme or a story and make people understand it.






This institute is totally free wherein for one year course they select 25 students for admission after the test in which 200-250 students apply. And after one year, the best of 8 are put into 2nd year to even further their skills. As we hovered around the classroom , with students working on their individual themes, we wondered from where their stories came from. From Ardhnari Shiv ( Half Shiv Half Parvati) to Krishna Leela( From birth till adult) to the story of Raja Bharthari , these themes to us were new. And the stories came from none other that their madam who recites it every Wednesday.

                                                                     The Story of Raja Bharthari

I particularly found the story of Raja Bharthari very enchanting. The story is that the King (or Raja) loved his wife very much. One day a priest came to the Durbar (court) he gave him a fruit and said you keep this fruit and you will always remain beautiful. The King thought that I love my wife and she must remain beautiful forever and with that thought he gave that fruit to the Queen. The Queen did not love the King, she loved the Police Officer (Kotwal) of the Durbar. So she gave that fruit to the Kotwal. That Kotwal did not love Rani so he gave it to the dancer who he loved. The dancer did not love him, the dancer loved the Head Police Officer (main Kotwal) and she gives the fruit to him. The Kotwal loved the King and he gives the fruit to the king. The fruit comes full circle and when the king thought how the fruit acme and asked everyone the truth comes out and the King leaves the throne.

Sadly the art of folk stories are dying , as kids these days are living on or rather surviving on TV or mobile phones alone. Prof. Coralynn Davis is collecting these folk stories where were once told by grandmothers to their kids and she says easier the kids listen to these stories and as soon as the story would start, the kids would start imagining it for example, there was a king, he was on a horse, he was wearing this dress and the child’s mind would follow up with that. To revive the imagination of kids, which is slowly dying, she is collecting archives from the village and about A hundred plus folk tales and stories of women's lives is collected by Prof. Coralynn Davis over the last few months in Madhubni / Mithila area.

Madhubani Art Form is all Free Hand & Imagination


The technique of Madhubani art form over the acid free paper requires constant pressure on the nib of the pen so that a blob is not created. They begin with patterns and even if they make mistake along the way they correct it in a way that it merges in the pattern. There is no sketch with the pencil on the final draft. The rough draft is first made on a separate sheet where the correction are done. Thereafter, the same thing is painted on the final draft without sketching. This requires a lot of patience and hence Dr. Kaushik says that making it on the paper than the cloth is a true art form that takes about 2-3 months. The life of the acid free paper is claimed to be for 200 years unless they are put in water, for us even a 100 years is more than enough. They get the paper from Sanganer but recently even a Japanese company have donated some.

The Inspiration Behind the Institute

Kaushik Kumar Jha said “ I did not start this institute. I was not even an artist. I knew a little bit about art. I was doing a job in the by lanes of my hometown here.” On the ground in India from 1977 - 2000, the Ethnic Arts Foundation consisted largely of one person, the American Anthropologist Raymond Owens. In 1976, Owens had come to India to do research on Flood control and irrigation issues in the Indian State of Bihar and West Bengal which were vulnerable to floods. He was completely unaware of Mithila Painting Tradition. It was only when he reached the district of Madhubani, he saw the paintings by early master : Sita Devi, Ganga Devi etc and was completely entranced by the beauty. That time he got fairly disturbed by the unfair amount of pay given to the painters by the dealers who demanded 40-50 paintings repetitive in style which was about 4-5 Rs/ painting. He began working with painters of Jitwarpur and Ranti and encouraged them to work on themes they deeply cared about. Owens returned to the US in 1977 with 35 of those paintings. And together with several friends they founded the Ethnic Arts Foundation (EAF) in 1980.Since then the EAF has mounted some 50 exhibitions and sales of Mithila paintings, the proceeds from which have gone as second payments to the artists. Owen suddenly passed in 2002. Thereafter, Elder, Jha, and Szanton traveled to Madhubani in 2002 to consult with the painters about the current situation. They came to know that slowly they were starting to get lesser good paintings and the young generation was not keen on taking up the art. They also found that only those who were old artists and their established families / relations who were into this art, no one new was showing interest. Slowly and slowly it was becoming a conventional art only confined to these families and there was a dominance of Kayastha and Brahmin Families. The Kayastha were making in Ranti village whereas Brahmins were in Jitwarpur.

So when the vice president ‘Parmeshwar Jha’ came to this area to buy the painting he thought why not start an institute which will excite the young generation and along with commerce and science as subjects they would also be interested in the art and culture. With that thought, he started this institute in 2002.

The motive was to get new generation involved

Kaushik Kumar added "And I am associated since that time. For one or two years, I was not sure what was happening, but slowly and slowly I assimilated and I worked as an administrator here. I work with the artists, give them material that they need, I support teachers and there are lot of foreigners who come here.Our main work is to promote the young artists, to give them the environment and the platform, basically we are doing that only, we give them material and the teacher, but they would be the one who would be artists. Now we are not just confined to Jitwarpur and Ranti and today you will get artists from those villages which has got no connection with Jitwarpur and Ranti because they were only making within families and they would hide their techniques and paintings. Today students from all over the villages are coming to learn painting and the hand of some of these skilled students could also match any national awardee.

During the 1934 earthquake, the British Government had inspected the situation where they found even though the walls were demolished there were big paintings in black and white which is still preserved in the British Library London. That time they had toured 5 villages that were famous for painting such as Sarsopai, Ujaan etc. For a long time there was no trace of people doing those paintings in those villages after that, it was only after the institute started that students from those villages also started coming again.

Fair Pair to Artisans


A student of the institute showcased her madhubani art on the Saree she had made on order. On further asking her how, she said, it took merely 4 days for her to make it, as a lot of people were doing it together. Kaushik Kumar said ‘ We don’t encourage making it on a cloth, because we believe cloth is pure business. This has got nothing to do with art, the perfection that you can have on paper, can never be achieved on cloth piece. That aspect is different. On further asking him on where can we find such cloth, he said, that they would be everywhere in big shops here, but they exploit the artisans, they sell it for 5000 Rs and not even give Rs 500 back to them. Whereas we encourage on getting your own cloth so that we can direct you to the artisans and make sure they get fair pay and thats how we work with fashion designers.

I further asked him, if not cloth, where can we get the paintings, he told me that anywhere in Jitwarpur, Ranti or Leheriyaganj you can go to their homes, and they would have a Jhola full of paintings - but the only thing is they too have analyzed the market and have gone to Dillihaat so their paintings might still be repetitive.

Why India still isn't a great market

India unfortunately he added, hasn’t yet woken up to appreciate the real value of art. We have exhibitions that we have in over 56 countries thanks to Ethnic arts foundation because they are the best people to Judge. For example, we celebrate snake festival here but an American may not like the painting of a snake in his bedroom So they have new artists who look for the market and what it demands while still keeping the core essence of art. We have only done 3 exhibitions in India and in one of the exhibitions in Mumbai, even though there was a headcount of 22000 people, only one quarter size painting was sold. Our foundation went into liability and we were unable to pay to artists or the curator. It took us 3-4 years to clear the backlog. Whereas abroad, the scenario is different.

Everything is a learning process. Just to create awareness to people on what real art feel like vs what’s readily available in the market, we are seeking support from government for an exhibition in Patna Museum for which the date is in Nov. We are thinking of ways to make it more interactive by taking artists who can demonstrate and there would be documentaries and seminars but we are keeping our fingers crossed as the hall is big.

Madhubani going Modern and Digital

It is great to see that we are working together both on modern and what was. For example, even though we are separate wings, few of our students are absorbed by the NGO run by Indian American Manish Jha who is working towards digital painting where these paintings are done on IPAD. They have offices in Bangalore, New York and Madhubani. The value of hand made product would still be there, but this is a separate market we are targeting.

He also added 'We also work on a lot of collaborations'. He said, he has also worked with a french novelist ‘Martine Le Coz’ for a book on senior painters. She has published one book on the senior painters, a second book on the Institute's teachers and students, and is now starting a third book on Raja Salhesh, the culture hero of the Paswans, one of the major painting communities. ‘ There were also 15 students who came through exchange program from university abroad ‘Rani jha one of our teachers ’ also went through exchange program.

It is nonetheless, great to see how some people are passionate from our own country and from overseas to revive the art. The art form that today goes beyond the traditional. Furthermore, we ventured into villages of Ranti and Jitwarpur and we view the art form by awardees and families up close not only on paper and cloth but also in their homes!

Visit their website at : MithilaArtInstitute
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/* This is a part of Fashion Trail of India where we ventured into few places in India rich in textile , craft and art and our attempt was to understand the developments, the challenges these artisans face and bring them to you . If you are working on fair pay of artisans and focusing on reviving the art and culture please get in touch with me at ankionthemove@gmail.com*/

It is quiet, it is sweet, it is lazy and it is humble and getting lost is just part of all of it.



Tucked in Upstate New York is this small yet gorgeous village of Cold Spring where creativity flows in tandem with marked trails surrounding the area that includes trails for casual to serious hikers. With not much information online, we were surprised to see how much can an hour and a half train ride from New York can take us too. Specially just after the winter storm in February.


 In fact, we ditched going to the nearby popular snow tubing destination Poconos (the biggest snow tube park in USA) in Penysilvania just because the train connectivity to Cold Spring was awesome and damn affordable.

Ever since I have come to US which has been like 3 years by now, I always try to minimize my cost as much as I can and local transportation as much as it is not talked about, sometimes can be very very cheap and for sectors as small as this one which requires minimal changes of buses or trains, extremely convenient.

The Metro Rail train can take you to Cold Spring from Grand Central Terminal NY ($ 14 one way, off peak hours) which are rich in antiques and has a classic old world feel. Who knew, getting away could lead you to world so different than the rumble mumble of New York. Guys, if you haven’t yet checked my posts on US, please do, since last 2 years , I am working on highlighting what are the myths , what are the facts and what is the culture, that makes US, US. Taking you to not just nitty gritties of USA, but also road trips, drives, festivals, food and interiors including spotting Northern Lights in USA. These are not all listed touristic destinations but destinations that people would be bewildered to know about.

I always used to fantasize about Nordic countries in Europe and how adventurous Winters can be there, with Snowmobiling, Skiing and all. Little did I know that upstate of US too has some amazing winter destinations to rave about. While Lake Placid in Upstate New York celebrates Nordic Festival for Experienced Skiers, Wisconsin has amazing Apostle Islands Ice Caves (The Caves are a fairyland of needles of Icicles) where people from all over the world arrive. If Dog Sledging is something you can relate to , to Europe; Wisconsin has it too! In fact a some of the villages in Upstate of US( Michigan, Wisconsin and New York etc) have names same as places of Europe which we found to be very fascinating.

Snow has always been my first love. Every winters, like a child makes his paper boat and waits for it to sail in a random puddle, I wait patiently for snow. This year, Snowfall has been lesser throughout. In fact, I heard one of my friend say that Iceland got its first heavy snow in January which even was warmer than usual. When New York had winter storm in February I was excited, the roads were blocked in first few hours before those huge trucks took it away. I couldn’t stop myself from walking on the Hudson riverfront of New Jersey and the city of New York in spite of winds smashing on my face. What came next was a plan! Now that winter storm is over and now that we have so much snow still left, can we just take a train because driving in snow is sometimes slow and cautious. So here’s my Photo essay from my trip to ColdSpring followed by vlog in the next post. Had we not thought of it, we would have had missed all the magic.

How can I describe how sweet people were in Cold Spring. From selling handmade antiques of Hudson Valley to antiques dated centuries back, this place is a heaven for antique lovers. In fact, on both sides of the main street are various lined shops on Antiques, some priced expensive , some not so much. 

Some tips here for the place

• Take your time here and talk to locals. I hopped into a shop on the main street and we discussed how jewelry was made! People do have time here.
• On the Main street in Cold Spring are many antique shops such as Bijou Galleries, Gallery 66 NY, Once upon a time Antiques etc. Main Street in Cold Spring looks more like Antiques row with plenty of Antique shops on both sides of the street.
• Take a stroll to Foundry Dock Park. There are several benches to sit on with view of Hudson river and mountains. There is also an installation of Parrott Gun.  
• 2 miles north of Cold Spring is little Stony Point, one of the easiest flat trail with a loop of 45 minutes from left - right or right - left. There is also a beach there. We also hiked to the highest point at Little Stony Point but due to trees, the view was blocked.
• There are other named trails on the Hudson Highlands Park but nowhere it is mentioned how much time will it take. Do your research before you start hiking or ask someone who is beginning to hike. Some might take 4-5 hours. There is no one to guide you at the venue.
• There are also fairly easier trails like Brook Trail.
• Be easy on the snow during winters. Rocks slip due to snow. We saw someone with chains on his boots.
• The most popular place here is Breakneck Ridge Loop which requires some serious rock scrambling . If you are adventurous, you can try that!
• We had great Pork Chili Fries at Hudson Hil's Market and Cafe.
• Summers may be the ideal time to go there.
• It is not crowded in winters and I wonder why.
• Shops does not have a fixed closing time in winters. Most of them seem to be family owned, and are closed when the owners feel like which can vary anywhere between 4:30pm - 7pm.
• The popular ice cream joint Moo Moo's creamery was closed for the season during winters.
• Cold Spring would not be snow covered during Spring and Summers but still the low hills, the river, the trails makes it a supercool gateway.

                                                            The Photogenic Birds at the Dock
                                                     The Parott Gun with view of Hill



                                                       Colorful Hikers at Little Stony Point


                                                                  The Train Route

                                                                      Pork Chili Fries


                           We took the train from Grand Central Terminal, NY