Lakshmi Devi

I learned Madhubani from my grandmother when I was seven, sitting on the mud floor of our home in Madhubani district. She would draw with twigs dipped in rice paste, telling me stories of Sita and Ram. For years I painted only on walls during festivals. Then a visiting researcher encouraged me to paint on paper. That changed everything. Today I work with natural dyes — turmeric for yellow, indigo for blue, lampblack for outlines — the same colours my grandmother used. Each painting takes one to three weeks. I want people to see that Madhubani is not decoration; it is a living prayer.