From Mithila Folk to Modern Art: Sanju Das Paints Women's Dreams and Desires
“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
— 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.
Follow us:
Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/
X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia
Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine
Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia
#Madhubani #MadhubaniArt #WomenArtists #Bihar #Mithila #ModernArt #ContemporaryArt #FeministArt #Feminism
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NewsTranscript
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