Mahasundari Devi (15 April 1922 – 4 July 2013) was an Indian artist and Madhubani painter. She was awarded the

Tulsi Samman The Tulsi Samman is an arts award presented annually by the government of Madhya Pradesh state in India. The award is named after Tulsi Das, an Indian saint, poet and philosopher, best known as the author of ''Ramacharitamanas'', an epic devoted ...

by the

Government of Madhya Pradesh Government of Madhya Pradesh also known as the State Government of Madhya Pradesh, or locally as the State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and its 52 districts. It consists of an executive ...

in 1995, and in 2011 she received the

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

award from the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

Biography

As a child, Devi was "barely literate" but began painting and learning the Madhubani art form from her aunt. She married a school teacher, Krishna Kumar Das when she was 18. In 1961, Devi left the

purdah Pardah or purdah (from Hindi-Urdu , , meaning "curtain") is a religious and social practice of female seclusion prevalent among some Muslim and Hindu communities. It takes two forms: physical segregation of the sexes and the requirement that wom ...

(veil) system which was prevalent at the time and created her own niche as an artist. She founded a cooperative society called Mithila Hastashilp Kalakar Audyogki Sahyog Samiti, which supported the growth and development of handicrafts and artists. In addition to Mithila painting, Devi was known for her expertise in clay, paper mache, sujani, and Sikki. According to her family, Devi created her last painting in 2011. Devi died on 4 July 2013 in a private hospital with sources citing her age at 92. She was cremated with full state honours the next day.

Recognition

She received her first felicitation in 1976 from the Bhartiya Nritya Kala for an illustration of the struggles of a Maithil girl. She received the

National Award The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate ...

from the president of India,

Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (; 19 May 1913 – 1 June 1996) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth President of India, serving from 1977 to 1982. Beginning a long political career with the Indian National Congress Party in the independence ...

, in 1982. Devi was considered a “ living legend” of the art of painting. She was awarded the

by the

in 1995, and the Shilp Guru award in 2007. She received the

award from the government of India, in 2011, for her contributions to the field of art.

Personal life

Devi was a resident of Ranti village located in

Madhubani, Bihar Madhubani is a City Municipal Corporation and headquarter of Madhubani district. Madhubani is situated in the Indian state of Bihar. It comes under Darbhanga Division. It is situated at 26 km northeast of Darbhanga City.The Madhuban Raj i ...

. Her daughter-in-law, Bibha Das, is also Madhubani painter, as is her sister-in-law, Karpoori Devi. She had two daughters and three sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devi, Mahasundari 1922 births 2013 deaths 20th-century Indian painters Indian women painters Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts People from Madhubani, India Folk artists Culture of Mithila Indian portrait painters 20th-century Indian women artists Women artists from Madhya Pradesh Painters from Madhya Pradesh