madhubani art
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CONSUMER PREFERENCE FOR MADHUBANI ART
FOUNDATION BUSINESS
PEARL ACADEMY
SUBMITTED TO – MRS. VASUNDHRA H. GUPTA
SUBMITTED BY -
GROUP MEMBERS: NISHA DIWAKER
SAUMAKSHI MAHANA
VAIDEHI SUPAKAR
(SECTION – C)
Acknowledgement
We would like to take this opportunity to express our profound gratitude and deep regard to our
teachers Mrs. Vasundhra Harsh Gupta and Mrs. Usha Gupta, for their exemplary guidance, valuable
feedback and constant encouragement throughout the duration of the project. Their valuable
suggestions were of immense help throughout our project work. Their perceptive criticism kept us
working to make this project in a much better way. Working under them was an extremely
knowledgeable experience for my group.
We would also like to give our sincere gratitude to all the friends and colleagues who filled in the
survey, without which this research would be incomplete.
Executive Summary
Madhubani is an folk artform which originates from Bihar and also known as Mithila and basically
made for each occasion and festival such as birth, marriage, holi, Durga puja,etc. But according to
local mythology, the time of its origin is traced back to the time of the Ramayana, when, for the
wedding of his daughter, Sita, to Lord Ram, King Janaka ordered his kingdom to decorate the town.
The ancient tradition of elaborate wall paintings known as Bhitti-Chitra in Bihar played a major role
in the emergence of this art form. Madhubani painting received official recognition in 1970, when
the President of India gave an award to Jagdamba Devi, of Jitbarpur village near Madhubani. The
painting was traditionally done on freshly plastered mud walls and floors of huts, but now
they are also done on cloth, handmade paper and canvas. Madhubani paintings are made
from the paste of powdered rice. After the paintings were made with natural colours on paper
previously treated with cow dung. The painting techniques are simple and the raw materials are
taken directly from nature. Outlines were done with kalams and cotton wrapped on bamboo sticks.
Today these paintings are done on canvas, cloth and hand-made paper with readymade bottled
fabric colours with nib and fine brushes. Some of the styles of madhubani art are Bharni, Katchni,
Geru, Godna,etc. Traditionally, natural colours were used that were obtained from plant
extracts like henna leaves, flower, bougainvillea, neem, etc. There are some places where
these paintings are preserved in their original form. They’ve created a unique Folk Art
Gallery in Bangalore (INDIA) to showcase the original artwork of traditional rural Indian
artists, mostly women. As India becomes economically more powerful, the approximately
500 million Indian youth, with their increased purchasing power, are being greatly
influenced by the global fashion trends. People not only need to know about these but also
need to have the knowledge and a proper understanding of the richness and its value as
only the youth of this generation will be able to leave a deep impression upon every person
of the society and also on the coming generations.
1. Literature Review
India features an extremely rich tradition of artistry and innovation and thus has a very rich
tradition of folk art and craft, as expected of any ancient civilization. The handicrafts of India
have a great aesthetic value and adherence to their tradition and are hence very well
appreciated all over the world. To name a few are,
Rajput painting (Rajputana): Rajput painting is a style of Indian
painting evolved and developed during the 18th century, in the
royal courts of Rajputana, India. Each Rajput kingdom evolved a
different style, but with certain common features. Rajput
paintings represent a number of themes, events of epics like the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata, Krishna's life, beautiful landscapes, and humans.
Mysore painting (Karnataka): Mysore painting is an important form of
classical South Indian painting that comes from the town of Mysore in
Karnataka. These paintings are known for their elegance, soft colours, and
detailed work. The themes for most of these paintings are Hindu Gods and
Goddesses and scenes from Hindu mythology.
Tanjore painting (Tamil Nadu): Tanjore painting is a
traditional form of classical South Indian painting
originated in the town of Tanjore in Tamil Nadu. The art
form dates back to the early 9th century, a period ruled
by the Chola rulers, who encouraged art and literature.
These paintings are known for their elegance, rich
colours, and attention to detail. The themes for most of these paintings are Hindu Gods and
Goddesses and scenes from Hindu mythology.
Pattachitra (Odisha): Pattachitra refers to the Classical
painting of Odisha, in the eastern region of India. 'Patta' in
Sanskrit means 'Vastra' or 'clothing' and 'chitra' means
paintings. The concept of Pattachitra is closely linked with the
worship of Lord Jagannath. The main content of Patta Chitra
is mostly mythological, religious stories and folk lore.
Madhubani painting (Bihar): Madhubani painting is a style of
painting, practised in the Mithila region of Bihar state. Themes
revolve around Hindu Gods and mythology, along with scenes
from the royal court and social events from a life of a common
man. Generally, no space is left empty; the gaps are filled by paintings of flowers, animals,
birds, and even geometric designs. In these paintings artists uses leaf, Herbs, Flowers to
make the colour which is used to draw paintings.
Madhubani painting is a type of an Indian painting which is practiced in the
Mithila region of the state of Bihar, India, and also in the adjoining parts of Terai in Nepal. It
is also known as Mithila painting. These paintings are mostly characterized by eye-catching
geometrical patterns and shapes and are done with the help of fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-
pens, and matchsticks, using natural dyes and pigments. These paintings are made for each
occasion and festival such as birth, marriage, Holi, Surya Shasti, kali puja, Upanayanam,
Durga Puja etc.
1.1 History & Origin
Madhubani is a region in the northern part of Bihar, that has a distinct regional identity and
a language that reportedly spans 2500 years. The term “Madhubani” by one account also
means ‘Forest of Honey’ (‘Madhu’-honey, ‘Ban’-forest or woods).
The exact time of when Madhubani art originated is still not known. But according to local
mythology, the time of its origin is traced back to the time of the Ramayana, when, for the
wedding of his daughter, Sita, to Lord Ram, King Janaka ordered his kingdom to decorate the
town. This great cultural region lies between the Koshi and Narayani tributaries and
between the Ganges and the Terai of Nepal. The ancient tradition of elaborate wall
paintings known as Bhitti-Chitra in Bihar played a major role in the emergence of this art
form. Women’s craving for religiousness and an intense desire to be one with God was the
original inspiration for Madhubani art and from where it emerged out. People then used to
believe that by painting something divine they will be able to fulfil their desire. And so
women began to paint pictures of Gods and Goddesses which had such deep and divine
interpretations that it captured many hearts.
The paintings were originally done on walls coated with mud and cow dung. The kohbar
ghar or the nuptial chamber was the room in which the paintings were traditionally done.
Originally the paintings depicted an assembly of symbolic images of the lotus plant, the
bamboo grove, fishes, birds and snakes in union. Madhubani paintings mostly depict men
and its association with nature and deities from the ancient epics. Natural objects like the
sun, the moon, religious plants like tulsi, scenes from the royal court, and social events like
weddings are widely painted. In these paintings, generally there is no empty space left. The
spaces are filled in by drawing animals, birds, flowers, and even geometric designs.
These images represented fertility and proliferation of life. There used to be a tradition that
the newly married bride and groom would spend three nights in the kohbar ghar without
cohabiting. On the fourth night they would consummate the marriage surrounded with the
colourful painting. The Mithila paintings were done only by women of the house, the village
and the caste and only on occasion of marriages.
Mithila painting, as a domestic ritual activity, was unknown to the outside world until the
massive Bihar earthquake of 1934 when the houses and walls tumbled down. Then British
colonial officer in Madhubani District, William G. Archer, while inspecting the damage
“discovered” the paintings on the newly exposed interior walls of Mithila homes. He was
struck by reported similarities to the work of modern Western artists like Miro and Picasso.
During the 1930s he took black and white photos of some of these paintings, which today
are the earliest images of the art. He also wrote about the painting in a 1949 article in
‘Marg’ an Indian Art Journal. The drought from 1966 to 1968 crippled the agricultural
economy of the region. As part of a larger initiative to bring economic relief to the region,
Ms. Pupul Jayakar, the then Director of the All India Handicrafts Board, sent the Bombay
based artist Mr. Bhaskar Kulkarni to Mithila to encourage women there to replicate their
mural paintings on paper which, to facilitate sales, as a source of income to ensure survival.
The contribution of foreign scholars in promoting the art form internationally has also been
immense. Yves Vequad, a French novelist and journalist, in the early 1970s wrote a book on
the basis of his research on Mithila painting and produced a film ‘The Women Painters of
Mithila’. The German anthropologist film-maker and social activist Erika Moser persuaded
the impoverished Dusadh community to paint as well. The result was the Dusadh captured
their oral history (such as the adventures of Raja Salhesh, and depictions of their primary
deity, Rahu) — typified by bold compositions and figures based on traditional tattoo
patterns called Goidna locally. This added another distinctive new style to the region’s
flourishing art scene.
With financial support of Moser and Raymond Lee Owens (a Fulbright Scholar then), along
with land in Jitbarpur donated by Anthropologist Erika Moser likes of Dr. Gauri Mishra
spearheaded the setting up of the Master Craftsmen Association of Mithila in 1977. This
association was very active during the life time of Owens working in tandem with Ethnic Arts
Foundation a non-profit 501(c) 3 of USA. Since the 1990s, Japan has also shown a keen
interest in Madhubani paintings, mainly because of the initiatives of Tokyo Hasegawa, who
set up the Mithila Museum in Tokamachi, where around 850 Madhubani paintings are
exhibited on a regular basis.
The skills of Madhubani paintings have been passed on through centuries. Madhubani
painting has been accorded with the coveted GI (Geographical Indication) status as it has
remained confined to a compact geographical area.
1.2 Artists and Awards
Madhubani painting received official recognition in 1970, when the President of India gave
an award to Jagdamba Devi, of Jitbarpur village near Madhubani. Other painters,
Mahasundari Devi (2008), Sita Devi, Godavari Dutt, Bharti Dayal and Bua Devi were also
given National award. Smt Bharti Dayal won an Award from All India Fine Arts and Crafts for
fifty years of art in independent India and the state Award for kalamkari in Mithila Painting
and her painting "Eternal Music" bagged the top award in Millennium Art Competition from
AIFAC for the year 2001. Smt Bharti Dayal is also honoured with The Vishist Bihari Samman
amid festivities to commemorate 100 year of Bihar. She has been honoured with Indira
Gandhi Priyadarshini Award 2013 for her exceptional work in Madhubani Art, globally too.
There are sometimes when women themselves don’t want to be recognised and so their
work remains anonymous.
1.3 Process of making
The painting was traditionally done on freshly plastered mud walls and floors of huts, but
now they are also done on cloth, handmade paper and canvas. Madhubani paintings are
made from the paste of powdered rice. In earliest form, Madhubani paintings appeared as
Arpana (floor paintings) and Kohbar (wall paintings), done by the women of the Brahmin
and the Kayasth castes. The traditional style of preparing the wall for painting is to coat it
with a paste of cow dung and mud which were the primary construction materials used in
the villages in this area. This coating ensured proper absorption of colour. These colours are
extracted from leaves and flowers of different types of plants and herbs using natural
extract found locally like henna, neem leaves, flowers etc.
The paintings were made with natural colours on paper previously treated with cow dung.
The painting techniques are simple and the raw materials are taken directly from nature.
Outlines were done with kalams and cotton wrapped on bamboo sticks. A bamboo stick,
with its end being slightly frayed, served as brushes which are dipped in colours and applied
to the medium. This same technique is still followed by a few artists on mediums such as
cloth, handmade paper and canvas to give an authentic look. Today these paintings are
done on canvas, cloth and hand-made paper with readymade bottled fabric colours with nib
and fine brushes. Madhubani paintings are characterized by use of bold colours along with
geometrical patterns, which give them a vibrant and a symbolic appearance.
1.4 Significance
Traditionally, Mithila art was used to commemorate religious occasions, when Mithila art
would be drawn on the walls or on the floors of homes — the latter known as Aripan art.
While the art form has been done by pen for the last 50 or 60 years, according to Parween,
the Jhanakpur Handicraft Center in India has been training its artists to use acrylic paint and
brushes in order to adapt their work to canvas — a form that is now referred to as
Madhubani art.
1.5 Styles of Madhubani Art
There are following distinctive styles in Madhubani art - Bharni, Katchni, Godna & Geru
painting. In 60's Bharni & Kachni style was represented by Brahman & Kayashth women &
godna geru style by dalit & dushadh but now a days there is no caste war among the artist
of Madhubani Art. Work in Madhubani Art can be seen in Craft Museum - New Delhi,
Chandradhari Mithila museum - Darbhanga, Museum of sacred Art - Belgium, Mithila
museum- Japan, Museum of Norway & many other places.
Bharni Style: The Brahmins of the society practice this. They fill the
paintings with bright colours.
Katchni Style: This is practiced by the kayasthas of the society.. They opt
for muted hues and mostly the figures and paintings are filled with fine
lines.
Geru Style: This is practiced by the harizans (lower class) of the society.
They wash the paper with cow dung and paintings are done using earth
colours.
Godna Style: These are symbolic paintings that are done with black and
the use of few colours.
1.6 Colour
Traditionally, natural colours were used that were obtained from plant extracts like henna
leaves, flower, bougainvillea, neem, etc. Then, to make the paint stick to the painting
medium, these natural juices are mixed with banana leaves resin and ordinary gum. In
recent times, synthetic colours that come in powdered form are easily available in the
market. However, traditional artists still use colours derived from natural sources. The most
popular natural colours in Madhubani art include deep red which is derived from Kusuma
flower, black from burnt jowar, green from Bel trees, orange from Palasa flower and light
yellow from turmeric mixed with banyan leaf milk. Two different kinds of brushes are used -
one for small details that is made out of bamboo twigs and the other for filling in the space
that is made from a small piece of cloth attached to a twig. Use two dimensional imagery,
and the colours used are derived from plants. Ochre and lampblack are also used for reddish
brown and black respectively.
1.7 Distribution
There is this All-India Handicrafts Boards which initially encouraged women to share their
work with the larger world for commercial sale and the major reason behind getting them
out of Bihar was to make people know about the existence of the paintings. Generally
people get to know about different art forms from different places. After proper surveys
and research we found ways how people know about the Madhubani Art form. One of them
being exhibitions held all over India.
The preservation of the beautiful paintings is possible only when artists, art galleries and
government agree to work together. There are some places where these paintings are
preserved in their original form. They’ve created a unique Folk Art Gallery in Bangalore
(INDIA) to showcase the original artwork of traditional rural Indian artists, mostly women.
They also organize periodic exhibitions to raise awareness about this priceless art. Just like
us there are youth who like reading blogs and so many of them have learned a lot from
online websites too.
1.8 Indian Youth and Fashion
As India becomes economically more powerful, the approximately 500 million Indian youth,
with their increased purchasing power, are being greatly influenced by the global fashion
trends. Fashion has become a necessity for the youth of India. They all want to look smart,
attractive and up-to-date. Many get influenced by their favourite celebs, many with the
intention to show off and many even due to peer pressure. The youth is spending a lot of
money for being “fashionable”. But in India, the youth is only aware of the high-end fashion
brands and has only just an idea, or worse, never even heard of the traditional art forms of
India. It is very important for the youth to know and accept the traditional art forms and
save them from becoming a rare museum piece. People not only need to know about these
but also need to have the knowledge and a proper understanding of the richness and its
value as only the youth of this generation will be able to leave a deep impression upon
every person of the society and also on the coming generations.
2 Research Problem
After doing secondary research, these are the following problems that were faced -
In today’s brand conscious scenario, do people really recognize the Indian traditional
art forms?
Would people prefer to use Madhubani art form in their daily lifestyle?
Do people want it to get commercialized?
What type of brands should it get commercialized with?
3 Research Objective
On the basis of the research problems discussed above, these few research objectives
were framed –
3.1 Main Objective: To find out the awareness among the people about Madhubani Art
in Delhi.
3.2 Sub – Objectives:
To study the Indian traditional art forms, especially Madhubani Art, and the lifestyle
of the artisans practicing it.
To find out a few suitable brands which could help it getting commercialized.
4 Research Methodology
4.1 Research Design
Methodology used for the research is descriptive in nature as it describes and explains
the characteristics of the topic being studied.
4.2 Data Collection Method
Did an extensive secondary research for Literature Review followed by a questionnaire
for primary research.
4.2.1 Data Collection Tools
The secondary research was sourced via internet and the primary research was
conducted through questionnaires.
4.3 Sample Design
The sample group for the study is the ‘fashion conscious youth’ of the age group 18-22
years in Delhi, and other demographic factors being gender, monthly disposable income.
4.3.1 Sample Size: 50 respondents.
4.3.2 Sampling Technique: Convenience non-probability sample.
5 Data Analysis and Findings
5.1 Data Analysis: Data was analysed with the help of statistics. Different tools were
applied depending on the nature of the questions. For demographic factors pie chart
was made and for psychographic factors pie chart and mean was applied.
5.2 Findings:
5.2.1 Demographic Factors –
66% of the respondents were females.
30% of the respondents were of 20 years of age.
Male 34%
Female 66%
Gender
18 16%
19 16%
20 30%
21 22%
22 16%
Age
56% of the respondents had an income level of more than 1.5Lakhs rupees.
68% of the respondents were doing Under Graduation.
5.2.2 Psychographic Factors –
After finding out the correlation between fashion consciousness and importance
of Madhubani Art, it was found that there is a very poor correlation which
means that both the factors are not related at all and do not affect each other.
<50,000 0%
50,000-1L 4%
1L-1.5L 40% >1.5L
56%
Income
HS 4%
UG 68%
PG 28%
Education Level
48% of the respondents mostly shop weekly.
62% of the respondents mostly shop from the stores.
50% of the respondents spend around 6,000-9,000 rupees on shopping monthly.
Weekly 48%
Monthly 32%
Quarterly 6%
Yearly 0%
Depending on mood 14%
Shopping
Street Shops
6%
Stores 62%
Online 28%
Overseas 4%
Place of Shopping
<3,000 4% 3,000-
6,000 22%
6,000-9,000 50%
>9,000 24%
Monthly Expenditure
56% of the respondents are aware of some of the Indian traditional art forms.
84% of the respondents are aware of Madhubani art.
Most of the respondents agree that the art should be commercialized.
Most of the respondents want the art to be introduced into home furnishing
line. Clothing line is almost equally preferable.
52% of the respondents want the products’ price to be around 10,000-15,000
rupees.
Most of the respondents want the art form to be incorporated with the brand
Global Desi. The brand Fab India is almost equally preferred.
Yes 28%
No 16%
Some 56%
Awareness (TA)
Yes 84%
No 16%
Awareness (MP)
<10,000 14%
10,000-15,000
52%
15,000-20,000
28%
>20,000 6%
Price
6 Conclusion
After doing the survey it was found that most of the respondents were female,
around the age of 20years perusing Under Graduation with the monthly family
income of more than 1.5 Lakh rupees.
After going through the questionnaires thoroughly and applying statistical tools, it
was concluded that most of the respondents were aware of the Madhubani art, yet
they want it to be commercialized in home furnishings and clothing line. About half
of the respondents wanted its price to be around 10,000-15,000 rupees. The brands
most preferred for the art form to be incorporated with were Global Desi followed
by Fab India.
7 Reference List
Carolyn Brown Heinz, 2006, “Documenting the Image in Mithila Art,” Visual
Anthropology Review, Vol. 22, Issue 2, pp. 5-33
Krupa, Lakshmi (4 January 2013), "Madhubani walls", The Hindu. Retrieved 5
February 2014.
"Know India: Madhubani Painting", India.gov.in. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
URL - http://india.gov.in/knowindia/madhubani.php
Prakash, Manisha (May 29, 2007), "India: Ladies’ Fingers and a Flavour of Art",
Women's Feature Service.
Madhubani painting - Upendra Thakur - Google Boeken, Books.google.com.
Retrieved 2013-09-21.
Shetty, Akshatha (18 July 2012, 9:20AM).
URL - http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bangalore/article569814.ece
Tripathi, Shailaja (22 November 2013), "Madhubani beyond the living rooms",
The Hindu, Retrieved 3 February 2014.
URL - http://www.umsas.org/en/bihar-arts-crafts/madhubani-painting/
URL - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_painting
URL - http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-art/paintings/madhubani.html
URL - http://www.mithilasmita.com/
URL - http://www.southasianist.info/india/mithila/intro.html
URL - http://yraclub.org/2013/01/15/fashion-the-craze-among-youth/
Annexure:
Questionnaire-
LOCALITY:
1. What is your gender?
a) Male
b) Female
2. What is your age?
a) 18 years
b) 19 years
c) 20 years
d) 21 years
e) 22 years
3. What is your family’s monthly income?
a) Less than ₹ 50,000
b) ₹ 50,000 – 1Lakh
c) 1Lakh – 1.5Lakhs
d) More than 1.5Lakhs
4. What is your education level?
a) Higher secondary
b) Under-graduate
c) Post-graduate
5. Are you fashion conscious?
a) Yes
b) No
6. How often do you shop?
a) Weekly
b) Monthly
c) Quarterly
d) Yearly
e) Depending on mood
7. From where do you generally shop?
a) Street shops
b) Stores
c) Online
d) Overseas
8. How much do you spend on shopping monthly?
a) Less than ₹ 3,000
b) ₹ 3,000 - ₹ 6,000
c) ₹ 6,000 - ₹ 9,000
d) More than ₹ 9,000
9. Are you aware of traditional art forms?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Some
10. Do you know about Madhubani paintings?
a) Yes
b) No
11. Do you feel that the importance of Madhubani painting is dying?
a) Yes
b) No
12. Does it need to be commercialized?
_____________________________________________________________________
Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Agree Disagree
13. In which lifestyle product would you like Madhubani art to be incorporated with? Please
rank according to preference (4 to most preferred and 1 to least preferred).
a) Clothing ____
b) Home furnishings ____
c) Accessories ____
d) Others ____
14. What should its price be?
a) Less than ₹10,000
b) ₹10,000 - ₹15,000
c) ₹15,000 - ₹20,000
d) Above ₹20,000
15. What brand/s would you suggest Madhubani art should be combined with? Rank the
following factors according to preference 8 for most preferred and 1 for least preferred.
a) Shivan & Narresh
b) Forever 21
c) Fab India
d) Global Desi
e) UCB
f) W
g) Ed Hardy
h) French Connection
Data Analysis Table- Please refer to previous posts “Coding Sheet” and “Tally
Sheet” for detailed description.