Bio
Godawari Dutta received the 2019 Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award for her contributions in preserving the traditional art form of Mithila and taking it to the world stage. She is now entering her 90’s (born in 1930) and is an internationally-acclaimed artist whose paintings are displayed in Japan, Germany, France, Bihar, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Trivandrum, and all over India.
Godawari was born in Bahadurpur, Bihar and had a rough childhood and adolescence; the loss of a father at 10, child marriage and finally being abandoned by her husband. In a strictly patriarchal society Godawari was glad of a cultural heritage that required every mother to pass on Mithila art to her daughter. Through her challenges, her mother’s love and her sole responsibility of raising her son, kept her absorbed in the 2500-year-old custom of Mithila art. Dutta’s mother, Subhadra Devi, was a well-known artist and would often be invited to draw scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata or symbols of love like flowers and parrots. It was her mother who taught her to respect and preserve the art form. The artist lives in Ranti village, Bihar.