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

OutlookIndia

“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.  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

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

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

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