Widowed in 2021 and advised to give up, this Jharkhand-based artist refused to bow down — and went on to gift paintings to governors, ministers, Bollywood actresses, and cricketers, while teaching hundreds for free.
In May 2021, everything changed. Her husband passed away, leaving her alone to raise her children and face a future that suddenly felt impossible. Well-meaning voices around her urged her to take the easy road — shut down her dreams, open a small shop, pull her children out of school. Most people in her position might have listened. She did not.
Today, that same woman stands as one of the most celebrated Madhubani artists in the country — a painter whose work has been received by governors, state ministers, Bollywood stars, and national cricketers. Her brush strokes, rooted in the ancient Mithila tradition, have crossed borders and touched hearts from Jharkhand to Mumbai to the United Kingdom. Her story is not just about art. It is about what happens when a woman refuses to be broken.
The Art That Became Her Armour
Madhubani painting — the centuries-old folk art form originating from the Mithila region — has been at the heart of her identity since long before tragedy struck. Educated at some of India’s finest institutions, including Daulat Ram College at Delhi University (BA Political Science, 1999) and Magadh University (MA Political Science, First Class 2002; B.Ed, First Class 2003), she combined intellectual rigour with a lifelong passion for traditional art.
As early as January 2008, she began formally teaching Madhubani painting, offering both offline and online training from basic to advanced levels. By 2010, she had established herself as a homepreneur, selling handcrafted Madhubani works on sarees, bedhsheets, curtains, t-shirts, and dupattas — long before ‘handmade’ became fashionable.
When the World Shut Down, She Opened Her Classroom
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world indoors, she saw not a crisis but an opportunity to serve. Through Facebook, she taught over 500 students Madhubani painting online — entirely free of charge. At a time when many were consumed by fear and uncertainty, she chose to share her art, her knowledge, and her culture with anyone willing to learn.
Her reach extended beyond India. During the lockdown, she conducted online classes for the Mithila Cultural Embassy in the United Kingdom — training members affiliated to the UK Embassy in the form, foundations, and rich cultural heritage of Madhubani art. Since February 2023, she has continued as a Madhubani Painting Tutor for the Mithila Cultural Society, UK, on an ongoing basis.
A Painter Whose Art Reaches the Highest Offices
Her paintings have been received as gifts of honour by some of India’s most distinguished figures. In February 2024, she gifted a painting to the then Governor of Jharkhand, Mr. Ramesh Bais — a moment that also saw her work presented to renowned singer Mr. Vinod Rathod. On 4th January 2024, she presented a painting to cricketer Sushant Mishra. On 6th January 2026, she gifted a painting to the Honourable Governor. On 8th October 2025, the Finance Minister of Jharkhand received one of her creations.
The world of entertainment has also recognised her talent. On 25th October 2025, Bollywood actress Daisy Shah received a painting from her hands — a moment that captured widespread attention. On 1st December 2024, classical musician Lakshay Kapoor was gifted one of her works. Each gifting is not merely a gesture of goodwill; it is a quiet declaration that Madhubani art belongs in the rooms where decisions are made and culture is celebrated.
Exhibitions That Commanded Attention
In May 2025, she held a prestigious exhibition at Audrey House, showcasing the depth and detail of her Madhubani works to an appreciative audience. Just months later, in October 2025, she took her art to Mumbai — hosting a full exhibition in India’s cultural capital, where her paintings received standing recognition from art lovers and critics alike.
Parallel to her exhibition work, she has served as an artist at Vishwambhar Foundation, Real Estate since February 2022, designing the Madhubani painting content for their 2023 annual calendar and creating bespoke wall paintings for client homes.
Awards That Reflect a Life Well Lived
Her contributions have not gone unrecognised. In 2022, she was awarded the prestigious Mithila Yuva Purashkar for her outstanding contribution to Madhubani painting. That same year, she received the Vama Parangati Paritoshik Award from Divyam Foundation. She has also been honoured with the Khwatin-E-Tehjeeb Mahila Samay Samman — an award that celebrates women who carry culture forward with grace and purpose.
A Legacy Written in Every Brushstroke
What makes this artist’s journey truly remarkable is not the awards or the accolades — it is the human being behind the brush. In 2021, when the world told her to shrink, she chose to grow. When people told her to give up her children’s education, she chose to fight for their future. And through it all, she kept painting — each piece a testament to her resilience, her culture, and her unshakeable belief that art can carry a person through even the darkest of times.
Today, with over 500 students taught, exhibitions spanning Mumbai and beyond, and a body of work that has reached the hands of governors and film stars alike, she is proof that strength and beauty can coexist — and that the most powerful stories are written not with words, but with colour, tradition, and an unbreakable will.
