A free woman in a picture

Married at the age of 13, she remained veiled for 5/7 years. She said that she started painting in search of freedom. 'After coming out of the veil, the outside world I saw felt like heaven,' Madhumala said, 'At one time, my world seemed to be a Choctaw land seen from inside the veil. Madhumala, who has been painting Mithila for 32 years, is learning how to paint using natural colors.

In Janakpur recently Shivatalav Foundation organized a training and taught Mithila painters how to make and use natural colors. During the training, 15 painters created Mithila paintings with women's freedom as the main theme, said Ragini Upadhyay, president of Shivatalav Foundation. The painter has often depicted the freedom gained from the struggle in his life. Madhumala said that she drew a dozer driving a picture to show that women are powerful in the picture.

She told that many women living in veils in Madhesh have now reached different places and become examples after the freedom struggle. Madhumala says that she mostly creates pictures with the aim of inspiring women to be independent and to move forward with their goals in the outside world. She told that Mithila had traveled to many parts of the country and had traveled abroad to the United States. "If I hadn't lifted the veil, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to paint and travel abroad," she says.

Another painter from Janakpur, Ruby Pathak, has made Sita, the daughter of King Janak of Mithila, her character while making Mithila paintings. Regarding how women can be independent, Pathak said that the message of her picture is that every woman in Mithila should aim to become Sita and become independent, while many consider the daughter of Mithila as God.

Mithila has the experience that the future is very good if he works hard in painting. Pathak, who has made painting her profession since 8 years, mentioned that she is very satisfied with this profession. Recently, Mithila painting is not only applied to the walls but also used in every decoration and material, so the reader understands that the future of those who engage in it is bright.

Pano Das, who has been making Mithila paintings since the age of 25, has accumulated three decades of experience in Mithila painting. She is also the president of Mahila Vikas Janakpur, an organization that makes Mithila pictures and sends them abroad. Das, who lives in Janakpur-13, said that 20 Mithila painters are currently active in the organization. All the painters are women with long experience and skills. Das said that after the struggle for freedom, women are taking on the responsibility of the family by making their art beautiful and earning name and money by working hard.

The painters say that many women who have given up in life have been given jobs by teaching them skills through women's development. 56-year-old Rajkumari Mandal of Janakpur-12 became physically disabled due to polio at an early age. But in the development of women, she is now established as a good painter. Despite being disappointed after being rejected by family and society, the princess says that painting gave her the strength to live. She said that she fulfilled the responsibility of running the house and educating her children by earning through painting. Princess, who learned painting 25 years ago, said that she often paints her struggles.

Lately, the demand for Mithila painting is increasing in the market. Rampujan Thakur, secretary of Shivatalav Foundation, said that since Mithila paintings have been drawn and printed on clothes, towels, towels, wall paintings and materials used in homes and offices, the quality and diversity of the paintings should also be increased. He said that with the aim of making a difference in the Mithila Kala area by using natural dyes made from bean leaves, beetroot, cow dung, etc. found in the backyard, he said that the artists have been trained in the difference. He said that since the theme of the

training is women's freedom, the women often depicted their own journey to freedom.