In Frame: Bhuri Bai from Madhya Pradesh. Source: Faraway Originals
In the faraway village of Pitora, Madhya Pradesh, a middle aged woman sat in a corner, watching the priest and men of her village create majestic colours and paintings on the walls of their huts. And fascinated by the world of those colours, she wished so desperately if she could be a part of that world too. But how? Women in her community weren't allowed to create those sacred 'Pithora' paintings that the men were working on.
That woman in the corner was Bhuri Bai, a Bhil artist who was awarded Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award in January 2021, for her prolific work on Pithora paintings, which, some years ago, she thought she couldn't do! Read on to peak into her inspiring story.
Bhuri Bai and her early life
Bhuri Bai, born and raised in Pitora village, Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh is the first woman from the Bhil community to work on Pithora paintings and take them beyond her village. Traditionally, Pithora paintings are supposed to be done by men, on walls of their huts as a sacred tradition. But Bhuri Bai broke those barriers and started painting nevertheless - despite all the resistance (just imagine the backlash!).
She credits her love for painting to the hardships she faced as a child and a deadly disease that almost took her life. Paintings somehow helped her forget her worries. Through her cheerful paintings, she could paint the childhood she never had. Painting became therapeutic to her, a way of letting go of all the sorrows, woes and struggles of her life. Perhaps that’s why she was so motivated to put-up a fight against the system and throw herself in creating art.
Initiation into the art industry
Bhuri Bai was spotted by artist J. Swaminathan while she was working on Bhopal's Bharat Bhavan construction site as a labourer. Seeing great potential, he encouraged her to expand her skills and start painting on paper using acrylic paints. He provided her with poster paints, brushes, brown packing paper, and under his guidance, despite the initial hesitation, she started creating vibrant Pithora paintings centred around her village lifestyle. Then, she slowly evolved into a contemporary artist from an indigenous folk artist - receiving humongous praise for her work.
Image Source: Pinterest
She took on the challenge of transforming Pithora paintings on vast paper sheets and canvases, from the little walls of her village. Aided by some contemporary artists, she is also largely responsible for contemporizing the art and adding a global appeal to it.
Bhuri Bai’s work and accolades
Bhuri Bai's style includes painting mythological figures, bucolic scenes, man-animal interactions as well as modern elements like airplanes and cell phones. The scenes, figures come alive on canvases in bright silhouettes with dots, dashes and lines filling-in. She has this brilliant ability to blend her own personal experiences, the village lifestyle and modern, industrial elements into her art. She sits on the edge of contemporary and folk, traditional art - balancing both the acts perfectly.
Her art has found a permanent place in Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum, Bhopal and numerous independent art exhibitions across India, Europe, Australia and the US. In addition to recent Padma Shri, Bhuri Bai also was honored with awards like Shikhar Samman by Government of Madhya Pradesh in 1986, Ahalya Samman (1998) and Rani Durgavati Award (2009).
She currently works as an artist with Adivasi Lok Kala Academy in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh and also trains other women from her community to push boundaries and create art!
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