Madhubani Art Through the Lens of Dalit Bahujan Women

04 DEC 2024

Madhubani art, traditionally shaped by caste and gender divides, finds vibrant new life through the bold narratives of Dalit Bahujan women. Their unique styles and themes transform this age old craft into a canvas for resilience, identity, and social change.

Shanti Devi, Lahariaganj, Madhubani (Lleft picture credit: Folkartopedia) Malvika Raj Dalit Madhubani Artist (Right picture credit: Feminism in India)

Madhubani, or Mithila painting, emerges as a vibrant symphony of tradition, echoing the stories of women from Bihar's Mithila region. A form of art woven in the fabric of daily life, it speaks in a language colored by the struggles, dreams, and resistance of those who create it. But in India, where caste divides even the most sacred of spaces, the brushstrokes of Madhubani once belonged solely to the privileged hands. For a long while, it was the upper-caste women Brahmins and Kayasthas who painted divine symbols, gods, and goddesses in their detailed, symmetrical patterns, reserved for the sacred and the prosperous.

The Dalit women, bound by societal constraints, were denied these realms. Their hands, too, longed to weave their stories into the tradition, but were cast aside by the invisible walls of caste. Forbidden to touch the images of the gods, they turned inward, finding their own canvas in the heart of their daily lives. They did not paint the Vedic divine; instead, they painted their own divine of labor, resilience, folklore, and the quiet strength that binds communities, that binds women.

In this realm of exclusion, Dalit women transformed Madhubani into their own world—a world where bold lines carry untold tales. They painted not the symmetrical, the sacred, but the lived reality of their communities. With every brushstroke, they told of struggles, of joys, of the pulse of life that beats outside the boundaries of caste. They blurred the lines, rejecting the constraints of perfect symmetry, and embraced the power of expression.

Artwork of Durali Devi

The work of artists like Yamuna Devi, Dulari Devi, Shanti Devi, and Malvika Raj exemplifies this defiance of tradition—a rewriting of Madhubani through the lens of Dalit history, their identities, and their lived experience.

Yamuna Devi’s art speaks in vivid hues, her works pulsating with life, telling stories of the Dalit communities she called her own. Through agricultural labor, through communal gatherings, through the resilience of women, her paintings told of a world far beyond the divine, a world of survival, solidarity, and strength. Her raw use of color and fearless style gave voice to the unheard, making her an iconic figure.

Dulari Devi’s story is one of transformation—of a domestic worker who learned from the walls around her, who began with the humblest of brushes and created a new world of her own. Her paintings, rich with the colors of festivals, marriages, and the music of her people, are a testament to her journey. In her autobiography, Following My Paintbrush, she tells of how her paintbrush became a symbol of hope, of perseverance, of breaking through the barriers of poverty and recognition.

Shanti Devi’s work celebrates the sacred bond between humanity and nature, telling stories of animals, plants, and rural life with a tenderness born of her connection to the earth. Her paintings breathe life into the landscapes that shape Dalit existence, allowing the viewer to witness the sacredness of the land in the faces of both plants and people. Her work draws a thread between traditional techniques and modern environmental consciousness, opening new dimensions for Madhubani art.

Malvika Raj’s art brings Madhubani into the present, where gender, caste, and environmental concerns converge. She creates a bridge between the past and the present, where traditional forms meet the struggles of today. With an eye sharp to the world, Malvika’s work speaks of caste discrimination, gender inequality, and the degradation of nature, while still holding the vibrancy of Madhubani intact. In her hands, the tradition is not just preserved but reshaped for new generations.

These women, whose voices were once silenced, now sing through their art. They have transformed Madhubani into not just a regional tradition, but a global platform for storytelling—of Dalit life, of marginalized histories, and of struggles that reach across the boundaries of caste, gender, and geography. Their work is a reminder of how art, in its purest form, can challenge norms, illuminate the unspoken, and give voice to those whose stories have long been left out of the frame.