Japanese showcase Madhubani painting for 'eternity'

TOKYO: Thousands of miles away from India, the traditional Madhubani painting and several other art forms, which are on the verge of decline in the country, have found an oasis in Japan that can boast of a museum exclusively dedicated to their preservation.
      
The 'Mithila Museum', situated in Tokamachi hills in Japan`s Niigata prefecture and a brainchild of Tokio Hasegawa, is now a treasure house of 15,000 exquisite Madhubani paintings and attracts hundreds of artists from India throughout the year.
       
"I did not want this spiritual (Madhubani) art form to disappear like our own ukioye (Japanese art from the 17 century in Ado period). Today even if we want to set up a museum we cannot as most of our paintings are with collectors and museums in the west," says 60-year-old Hasegawa on his endeavour to save the art form that originated in Bihar.
 
"The paintings are being kept at the museum for eternity," he said.
      
The idea for the museum came when a group of students approached Hasegawa with 80 Madhubani paintings in 1982 which they had purchased during a trip to Bihar and were looking for a place to exhibit them.
       
Hasegawa, a 16th generation Tokyo resident and a renowned musician, had at that time "escaped" city life to live in the mountains to be "more close to his music and god".
       
"So we decided to covert a vacant primary school for a museum," says Hasegawa. With this began a long journey which took him over 20 times to India -- collecting art, encouraging artists and bringing them over to Japan.

Since 1988, when the world renowned Mithila artist Ganga Devi came to Japan, the Mithila Museum has invited various painters who practice their art form using traditional methods on a new material developed by the museum.
 
"I would travel from village to village in search of artists and then I met Ganga Devi," says Hasegawa, the renowned musician.
 
The artists are provided food, lodgings and a monthly salary during their stay.
        
"I have come nine times to stay at the museum and really like being here. We practice our art and Hasegawa helps us with new ideas," says 78-year-old artist Karpuri Devi.  

Also, with the setting up of the museum began Hasegawa's attachment with India as tried to learn more about its culture.
       
Along with NPO society, he was part of a campaign to popularise Indian culture and in 2003 became the chairman of the organising team of 'Namaste India', an annual festival showcasing the country, held in Tokyo.
       
Hasegawa's says he overcame financial problems and the apathy of governments and officials but friends and families helped him through.
       
"The companies would say that India was not the only country of interest to them and that they had businesses in other nations, but you cannot accomplish such a task if you only think of economy," the renowned musician says.
       
"In India artists approach me with their works and I buy them -- even those which I don't need as we have to encourage the artists," says Hasegawa, who often invokes 'Krishna' during his conversation.
       
His labour of love, the museum is now also involved in encouraging other Indian art forms like Warli folk painting of Maharashtra and terracotta.

Giant terracotta figurines are displayed at the museum premise. The massive wooden museum also houses a Saraswati temple on its premises.
 
The Madhubani tradition which dates back to the 7th century A.D., is unique as it is the women who mastered and practiced it.
 
Natural colours like green from bean leaves, black from khol and geru for red are used in the intricate paintings.
         
"The artists ask me should we use artificial colours but I tell them 'no' as we have to maintain the originality," he says, adding "but we do improvise on the subjects".
       
Asked about the awareness among the Japanese people about the Indian culture, he says "it is not an easy job but don't stop the cultural interactions as these are helping to bring the two countries closer."
        
Recognising his contribution towards strengthening relations between the two countries, Hasegawa was given a special award by the Indian embassy here last year.