Mithila Museum in Japan
Partha Desikan
The following recent news release through Bihar Times is heartwarming. Mithila is dear to Indian minds because of its hoary association with the incomparable heroine of Ramayana, but its association with the very special Madhubani art form of Bihar is no less significant.
It does not seem to matter that there is some uncertainty as to which part of the region is believed to have housed Janaka's capital.The traditions of the ancient art form are inextricably linked with the name of Mithila. One hopes that the first sentence in the report is an exaggeration and that Madhubani is not really endangered.
Patna, (Bihar Times): The traditional Madhubani painting and several other art forms may be facing extinction in India, but they have found some lovers in far away Japan. The Land of Rising Sun can boast of a museum exclusively dedicated to their preservation.
Do not get confused: Mithila Museum is nowhere in Bihar. It is situated in Tokamachi hills in Japans Niigata prefecture. It is a brainchild of Tokio Hasegawa, a musician of repute. The Museum is now a treasure house of 15,000 exquisite Madhubani paintings and attracts hundreds of artists from India throughout the year.
I did not want this spiritual (Madhubani) art form to disappear like our own ukioye (Japanese art from the 17 century in Ado period). Today even if we want to set up a museum we cannot as most of our paintings are with collectors and museums in the west, says 60-year-old Hasegawa on his endeavour to save the art form that originated in Bihar.
The paintings are being kept at the museum for eternity, he told the news agency PTI. The idea for the museum came when a group of students approached Hasegawa with 80 Madhubani paintings in 1982 which they had purchased during a trip to Bihar and were looking for a place to exhibit them.
Hasegawa, a 16th generation Tokyo resident and a renowned musician, had at that time escaped city life to live in the mountains to be more close to his music and god.
So we decided to covert a vacant primary school for a museum, says Hasegawa. With this began a long journey which took him over 20 times to Indiacollecting art, encouraging artists and bringing them over to Japan.
Since 1988, when the world renowned Mithila artist Ganga Devi came to Japan, the Mithila Museum has invited various painters who practice their art form using traditional methods on a new material developed by the museum.
Hasegawa would travel from village to village in search of artists and then met Ganga Devi.
The artists are provided food, lodgings and a monthly salary during their stay.
Seventy-eight year-old artist Karpuri Devi says: I have come nine times to stay at the museum and really like being here. We practice our art and Hasegawa helps us with new ideas.
Hasegawa as tried to learn more about Indian culture. Along with NPO society, he was part of a campaign to popularise Indian culture and in 2003 became the chairman of the organising team of Namaste India, an annual festival showcasing the country, held in Tokyo.
He says he overcame financial problems and the apathy of governments and officials but friends and families helped him through.
On the awareness among the Japanese people about the Indian culture, he says it is not an easy job but dont stop the cultural interactions as these are helping to bring the two countries closer.
Recognising his contribution towards strengthening relations between the two countries, Hasegawa was given a special award by the Indian embassy here last year.
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written by P. Desikan, 2009-11-25 19:41:48
Yesterday's comment from our friend Raghbendra has reminded me that I failed to acknowledge two comments that this blog received well over a year ago. I apologize. First let me thank Narensomu, Pradip and Raghbendra for their kindness. It is heartening to note that the blog has been 'hit' over a thousand times in the year and three of you have commented on it, one as recently as yesterday.
I have something more to say.
Dear Narensomu,
In a world where most individuals have to be busy most of the time arranging for bread for themselves and their dependents, the few individuals who spare time to help art along are as important as the artists themselves. Often the latter may disappear if there are not enough of the former.
Dear Pradip,
Madhubani paintings have filled this Tokyo museum, because the creation of sufficient number of Madhubani paintings has been enabled by Hasegawa by taking pains to scout for and bring enough artists to his museum over two decades and motivating them to create under comfortable conditions. His museum staff have also developed new material on which the artists could do these very traditional paintings. I was reminded of the research carried out by my wife in 2003 when we were visiting my daughter in the US, when she developed two are three substitutes for her own use in the traditional Tanjore painting process, from materials available at the Michael chain of stores.
Dear Raghbendra,
Let us bless people like Hasegawa. Also people like Gangadevi, who survived along with her art for several decades before being found by the benefactor.
They are a very special breed of humanity.
Warm regards. Partha.
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written by Raghbendra Jha , 2009-11-25 11:09:55
Thanks for this article. It is heartening to note that there are open minded benefactors of Indian ethnic art forms in Japan. Surely, this augurs well for their revivial.
Regards,
Raghbendra Jha
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It appears that the Mithila Museum (in Japan, of course) has a permanent collection of Warli paintings also.
http://warli-paintings.blogspot.com/2006/12/mithila-museum-japan.html
If you want to read about the Warlis, a tribe living in the Thane district of the Maharashtra for at least 12 centuries or more, and about the interesting pictures they have been drawing on their mud walls on various occasions, do read this account written in 2000 when Warli artists took part in a Chennai based art exhibition at Lalit Kala Academy, Chennai-600 006.
http://wiki.indianfolklore.org/images/5/59/Warli.pdf
South Indians familiar with palika pots in which newly weds and other married women ceremoniously start germinating some seeds immediately after the main wedding ceremony, will not fail to notice the reference to mother goddess Palaghata depicted in the painting of a Warli marriage chauk.
Warm regards. Partha