Samastipur, 25 October .

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reached Karpurigram in Samastipur to inaugurate the Bihar Assembly election campaign, received a special gift related to the priceless cultural heritage of Bihar. Local MP Shambhavi Choudhary presented him a special ‘soup’ decorated with folk art Mithila paintings.

Everyone present on the stage, including the Prime Minister, were mesmerized by the beauty of this offering related to the festival of Chhath and its cultural significance. This gift became a magnificent symbol of the sanctity of Chhath, the great festival of Bihar’s identity, folk art and folk faith.

Two days of craftsmanship adorned with dedication to tradition:

This unique ‘soup’ has been prepared by Kundan Kumar Rai, a well-known folk artist and resident of Magardahi area of ??Samastipur. Kundan Rai told that it took him about two days to finalize this artwork. He has carved each and every design of Mithila painting with colors with utmost precision and concentration. According to Kundan Rai, the market price of such a soup may be between Rs 700 to Rs 1500, but the emotions, tireless work and dedication to tradition present in it give it the status of a ‘priceless heritage’.

This special soup reflects the purity and faith of the great festival Chhath Puja. In Chhath, ‘Soup’ is used to offer ‘Arghya’ to the Sun God and to keep the worship material. The vibrant colors and designs of Mithila painting provide an artistic height to this traditional object, which embodies the soul of Indian culture and folk tradition. The life of artist Kundan Kumar Rai is a story of struggle and indomitable love for art.

He had a passion for painting since childhood, for which he even left his job. He learned this art from his mother, who herself is an expert in Mithila painting. There came a period in his life when he had to leave painting due to ‘color blindness’ (inability to recognize colors correctly). But, during his MBA studies in 2009, with the encouragement of a teacher, he participated in a painting competition and was the ‘first runner up’, which inspired him to revive his art.

Kundan Rai told that due to color blindness he is not able to see many colors (like red, green, pink, blue etc.) properly. Despite this, he creates his freestyle paintings without any support. However, he takes the help of his sister or niece to get the painting accurately colored. The moment of presenting this artwork to the Prime Minister has become a moment of supreme pride for Kundan Rai.

His achievement is giving the folk art of Samastipur a unique identity not only on the national but also on the global stage. This cultural offering will also connect the NRIs living abroad emotionally towards their roots and Chhath Puja.

/ Triloknath Upadhyay