For about two dozen young girls and homemakers in Bhagalpur, the day begins by 3am when they pack their bags with painting material and head for Naugachia bus stand to board a police truck.
They paint Manjusha art on the railings of the Vikramshila bridge in the wee hours of the day as part of Mission Manjusha - a special initiative undertaken by the Bhagalpur district administration to revive the century-old art form and empower rural women.
"We have to complete our work by 9am because of the sultry conditions. Other group members have similar assignments in different parts of Bhagalpur," said Ulupi Jha, who is training the women and hopes that the initiative will revive the art form.
District magistrate (DM) Adesh Titarmare said: "We undertook the mission to empower rural women and promote the art form. The entire district is our canvas."
Titarmare, during his tenure in Banka in 2013, tried to revive the art form in an experimental manner by putting up Manjusha paintings in a hall where chief minister Nitish Kumar had addressed a meeting.
Several projects like the Mukhyamantri Cycle Yojana was portrayed through the art form at the meeting hall and other parts of Banka district headquarters.
"We have applied for a geographical indication registration to have a patent over the art form. We have already sent necessary documents to the authorities concerned in Chennai," the DM said.
Sadar sub-divisional officer Kumar Anuj said some parts of the Vikramshila bridge, circuit house, SDO office, airstrip of Bhagalpur aerodrome and block offices at Shakund and Sultanganj have already been painted.
DM Titarmare said the salient features of the initiative include women empowerment, employment of nearly 400 artists, using the art form in a modern context and creating a demand for the art form in the private sector.
According to Anuj, artists have started painting walls in public places at Sultanganj to welcome kanwarias (devotees of Lord Shiva) and pilgrims from abroad. A large number of tourists and pilgrims are scheduled to visit Sultanganj for the month-long Shravani Mela that starts on July 20.
Anuj said: "We are planning to introduce Manjusha paintings on different goods such as clothes and other articles that will be used by the pilgrims." He said the district administration pays Rs 500 to workers for completing their assignments. But for the workers, that is secondary.
"Money hardly matters in this case as we have the opportunity to engage ourselves with a pious and great cause," said Archana, a young girl from Uzani village in Naugachia.
Raman Sinha, a senior teacher at Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University, said: "It's a good initiative as apart from rural women being empowered, Manjusha is a unique pictography that will help in the beautification of the city."
