Jurshital Mithila Art Institute celebrates 3 months today since its official registration as a non-profit organization. The institute is doing very well as it obtained an additional funding from Clinton Global Initiatives University at the end of Summer of 2010. This has further funded two more months of training from the month of October to November. These Mithila women have now learnt enough to produce sellable paintings in markets of Kathmandu and Pokhara.

Indeed, we have found a vendor in Kathmandu, who runs a book and antique store in Thamel, the art of tourist center in Kathmandu, who has agreed to dedicate some space in her shop for selling these Mithila paintings for no additional cost. There is another trekkers company in Pokhara that works for women empowerment by training women to become tourist guides. This organization has also offered to promote these paintings among their clients.

Jurshital: a new beginning

Honestly, the idea of starting a blog has crossed my mind several times but I pushed this idea since I identify with lives of most, if not all full time students with a double major (mine being Mathematics and Economics) that go to school every day and strive for the best. But today is a different day and now I have a reason, a new beginning to my life that is going to unfold this summer.

The title of my blog itself, “Jurshital”, a Maithili word, means New Year. I chose this word because my inspiration behind this blog is my project that I am going to do in Halkhori village in Nepal, where I come from. My society back home is dominated by Mithila culture in which we celebrate Jurshital, the New Year during the month of April. Interestingly enough, I was born in April, too! Jurshital is celebrated in Mithila culture by throwing mud at each other, family, friends, etc. Mud carries a special importance in our lives, the Maithili people as more than 90% of us depend on agriculture. As Rakesh writes, “We are born on mud, play on mud and die on mud,” we regard mud as a sacred part of our lives in Mithila culture. No wonder, we Mithila women spend so much time decorating our mud houses with yet other kinds of mud and produce from mud. We decorate our mud built houses by Mithila paintings, passed down from mothers to daughter. We paint the walls of our houses with lively depictions of family celebrations, religious ceremonies or even daily life moments and village scenes. We make the paint from red soil, charcoal, chalk, plant extracts that wash away in the rainy season. This gives us a new start the following year and we repaint the walls every year.

I am taking this Mithila painting to a professional level this summer by training the Mithila women into using the permanent paints, paint brushes so that the paintings are made permanent onto canvas and paper from the temporary ones on the walls. To get a more detailed idea on my project proposal, please refer to my next blog. And wish me a very best for the new beginning to my life. Happy Jurshital!