From Mithila Folk to Modern Art: Sanju Das Paints Women's Dreams and Desires

  • 3 weeks ago
“Freedom is special to all. However, most Indian women always remain under the subjugation of men. Love teaches us to revolt for freedom. But love is a crime in a country like India. No wonder Indian women fly after getting married; they wish to fulfil all their suppressed desires and dreams. Both the flying birds in the sky and independent women in society attract her a lot."
— Sanju Das

Sanju Das is a veteran contemporary artist from Bihar. Earlier, she was practising as a Mithila folk artist. From folk art, she entered the world of modern art. Her paintings represent women expressing their dreams, suppressed desires, and lives.

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#Madhubani #MadhubaniArt #WomenArtists #Bihar #Mithila #ModernArt #ContemporaryArt #FeministArt #Feminism

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Transcript
00:00Hi Sanju ji, how are you?
00:03Very good
00:04Great
00:05You have designed the cover of our latest issue, FREEDOM
00:11So we will ask you about that today
00:14And even before that, you designed the cover of our last year's FREEDOM issue
00:22Your artwork was on our cover, so it was a great work
00:29So we would like to talk about that, about your artworks
00:33So first of all, let's talk about your artwork
00:39I found it very interesting that you have birds, clouds, nature, forests, etc.
00:48They are in a very small size, those elements
00:52But the human figure is very detailed
01:00And they look like ordinary people
01:03It's not that you have made them very beautiful
01:08They are like us, the people we see in our daily lives
01:13So can you tell us how you got inspired for this artwork?
01:20Because I belong to Mithila, so Mithila painting is a part of our ritual
01:29We use Mithila in all our functions, weddings, marriages, etc.
01:35So that's how I got inspired
01:38I used to do all these things like Alpana
01:44So I was interested in this and I used to do it very well
01:49So that's how I got inspired
01:52Because I got married to a modern artist
01:56My husband is also an artist
01:59So he also wanted me to get married to a painter
02:06I didn't know about this before
02:09That there is an artist who paints
02:13Because we were in a ritual
02:16So I didn't know about this
02:18When I got married, I came to know about a course of modern art
02:24After that you become a modern artist
02:27And the journey of those artists is very long
02:31And the artist gets a lot of respect
02:34I came to know about all this later
02:37And I used to do this Mithila painting
02:40I got the form of Mithila from Mithila
02:43Like the nose, the big eyes, the long nose
02:47I got all these things from Mithila
02:50So I started converting that into modern art
02:55Because there is a gallery here in NGA
03:00And there was an exhibition there
03:03So I went there to see
03:05And there I saw modern artists
03:10From folk art to painting
03:16So it came to my mind
03:19When he is a modern artist
03:22And I am a folk artist
03:24I paint folk life
03:27So why can't I convert that into modern art?
03:32I can convert that into modern art
03:36So that's when my journey started
03:39And I tried to convert folk art into modern art
03:45And I started making it
03:47So I have a simple form of Mithila
03:50And that has all the aspirations of women
03:58And you have won the Kumud Sharma award
04:03And you have done a lot of exhibitions all over the country
04:07International people have gone to see your exhibitions
04:12You have shown your artwork in Nandlal Basu Kala
04:20And I got to know that you are a self-taught artist
04:28You have taught yourself
04:30And you don't have any formal training
04:33So how did you learn?
04:39What was your process of learning?
04:46My process started with Mithila
04:49Because my husband is a modern artist
04:53I had tried to get admission to an art college
04:59But for some reason, I was not able to get admission
05:03That day I decided that it's okay
05:07It's not necessary to get academic training
05:12You can move forward only if you get it
05:15So art is a matter of practice
05:18The more you practice, the more you work on it
05:23The more you can move forward
05:27My husband is an artist
05:30So he guided me a lot
05:33And taught me a lot
05:35Because I had not done it before
05:37So I used to get confused sometimes
05:39So my husband guided me a lot
05:42That is how I moved forward and worked
05:46When we talk about your art
05:49You show daily life
05:52You show common people in your artwork
05:55There is a lot of symbolism of birds and flying
06:00In your artwork, the sky is very significant
06:07Birds, clouds, aeroplane
06:11I found it very interesting that
06:14This woman is a mix of birds, insects and women
06:24That is also very common in your paintings
06:28Can you talk about this symbol?
06:31Where did you get this idea from?
06:34Because your art
06:36I got this idea from my village
06:41I studied in a village
06:44I lived in a village for a long time
06:47The environment of the village
06:49Women used to work at home
06:51They used to work in the fields
06:53But they did not get the encouragement
06:57That you work so hard
06:59Even after doing it, they used to ask me
07:02What did you do?
07:04I felt that
07:06Even after working so hard
07:09Women did not get the freedom
07:14Or the encouragement
07:17So I used to think
07:20I should work for them
07:23I should make something for them
07:25That is why I mostly work for women in the village
07:28Working in the fields
07:31Women also have a desire to fly
07:36That is what I have painted
07:39When we used to go to play in the village
07:42We used to catch butterflies
07:45While catching the butterflies
07:48This is my figure
07:50It is called Ramji's horse
07:53Ramji's horse
07:56This is a human figure
08:01I have made it
08:03I have many such paintings
08:06This is very interesting
08:09You made a very good point
08:12That women should also get freedom
08:15They also have desires
08:18Our issue is on freedom
08:22Our country has been free for so many years
08:26But what are the things in our society
08:30That do not make people free?
08:33What would you like to say about that?
08:36You have already mentioned freedom
08:39For women who work in the fields
08:42Who work for their family
08:45Because our society is a religious society
08:50Men dominate the society
08:55Many women are moving forward
08:59Earlier, women could not go out of their homes
09:04In the village itself, we have suffered
09:07Because I have not taken regular classes in college
09:12I have done my B.A. from Prospective
09:16In the graduation park
09:18That is why I have suffered
09:21I used to live in a village
09:23It is a little far from the village
09:25You cannot go to college there daily
09:28We were not allowed to do that
09:31I have seen many girls
09:34Who could not study even if they wanted to
09:38Our generation has changed a lot
09:46In every field, women are moving forward
09:51I can see that women are moving forward
09:56But the male dominated society
10:00Is stopping them from moving forward
10:03They are not giving them freedom
10:06I feel that even though women are doing so much
10:11They are not getting this freedom
10:14Because both men and women are earning
10:19Both are equal
10:21It is said that the wheel of life
10:25Runs on two wheels
10:27Both men and women should be equal
10:30Everywhere there is equality
10:33But somewhere women are not getting what they should
10:38You have said a very good thing
10:42You were talking about freedom
10:45You can see that there is a girl and a man
10:49But they are looking at the sky
10:52I feel that they are not willing to move forward
11:00I get that feeling when I see your art
11:05Did you think that they should look up?
11:10Can you tell us why they are looking up?
11:14Because people want to do a lot with love
11:21If we get love in our society
11:24If we get love from our husband and wife
11:27I feel that we can do a lot together
11:31We need support to fly in the sky
11:37We women are not able to move forward
11:41No matter how much we have studied
11:44We need a man
11:46I have made that in this painting
11:49We are two lovers
11:51We are thinking what will happen in our society
11:55We will fly like butterflies
11:57We will jump like Ramji's horse
12:00I have painted that in this painting
12:03Wow! Very interesting
12:07Lastly, can you tell us about your form?
12:12You do acrylic figurative painting
12:15How did you get interested in this?
12:20Of course, Madhubani art has a lot of inspiration
12:25But it is very different
12:29You have standardized your form
12:35If I see your painting anywhere
12:38I will know that it is your painting
12:41It is known that it is Madhubani art
12:44But I still say that it is your painting
12:47Can you tell us why you chose this medium?
12:50Why did you choose acrylic figurative painting?
12:54If you look at Mithila painting
12:57People who know Mithila painting
13:00They can identify the art forms
13:04But those who don't know Mithila painting
13:07They say that it is all the same
13:10But in modern art
13:14There is a need to make an identity
13:18You should have your own identity
13:22You should have your own identity
13:27When I used to do Mithila painting
13:30I wanted to create my own identity
13:35That is how I took form from Mithila painting
13:39And gave it a modern art treatment
13:42And created my own identity
13:45I have a different flavor in it
13:49I have my own identity
13:55In modern art, you need to have this identity
14:00Modern art is very diverse
14:04There are many artists
14:09If you don't have your own identity
14:13There are many artists like this
14:16Even though they don't have an identity
14:19They still do their art
14:22They are understanding the art form
14:25That is their identity
14:28Wow! Thank you so much Sanju ji
14:31I have asked all my questions
14:34Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us
14:38Thank you so much
14:41It was a pleasure to talk to you
14:44Thank you to the Outlook team
14:47Thank you so much

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