The Artist
I returned to my first language — drawing — and found in the lines of Mithila a practice that is at once artistic, cultural and spiritual.
A Childhood Filled With Drawings
Childhood
I always enjoyed drawing. The last pages of my school notebooks were filled with peacocks, fish, lotuses and ducks — drawn again and again, long before I knew the name Mithila.
A Life That Took Another Path
The middle years
Education, marriage, work, raising children and supporting my husband's career abroad left little time for art. The notebooks closed — but the inclination never left me.
A Connection With Mithila
2012 – 2015 · Patna
From 2012 to 2015 I lived in Pataliputra Colony, Patna, and often visited local exhibitions where Mithila paintings fascinated me. When I moved to Bhopal, I carried the tradition with me — paintings, textiles, sarees and cushion covers that kept the connection alive.
Rediscovering Art During COVID
2020 · The turning point
When life suddenly slowed, my long-standing passion returned. I began drawing every day — one small Mithila painting at a time — as if reconnecting with a part of myself that had waited patiently for years.
From Practice to Expression
Practice
Encouraged by a watercolour artist, I moved from small sheets to larger formats, and from recreating traditional compositions to bringing my own ideas and interpretations into the work.
Learning the Tradition
Study
Seeking authentic learning, I joined Shilp Kala Vidyapeeth, where I study the finer details of Mithila painting through traditional methods, along with the mythology, culture and festivals of the Mithila region.
“Mithila painting has become not just an artistic practice for me, but a meaningful cultural and spiritual journey.”
— Dr Piyush Kiran Nayak