Ever wanted to know about the land where goddess Sita was found by Raja Janaka and brought up, how makhana (fox nut) is cultivated and brought to your table, the mysticism surrounding Balirajgarh - from where mythical king Bali ruled - or the cuisine of Mithila, or the famous Madhubani paintings?
Generations have talked about the famous art and culture of Mithila, but there's lack of authentic, comprehensive and concise information on the region feel experts and those who want to know about it.
This void was filled when Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind released a book titled Madhubani, the Art Capital, in Patna on Tuesday in the presence of former chief minister Jagannath Mishra and former minister Nitish Mishra.
The book has been brought out by Muzaffarpur-based Lalit Narayan Mishra College of Business Management to inform readers about the rich culture of Mithila and various art forms prevalent there. At present, Mithila encompasses Maithili-speaking districts of north Bihar that includes Samastipur, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi to Supaul, Saharsa, Madhepura, Katihar and Purnea.
Janakpur, which is now in Nepal, is also part of region. Incidentally, Sita is also referred to as Maithili, the language of the land now. "This cannot be termed just a book because it incorporates cultural heritage. Madhubani is not a proper noun denoting a place, but refers to an entire culture," Kovind said.
Jagannath, who is the chairman of LN Mishra College of Business Management, said the book elaborates what is Mithila and presents facts about its culture in a way that everybody will understand the specific traits.
"It is dedicated to former railway minister L.N. Mishra. It was because of his efforts Madhubani paintings arrived at the global platform. The book is an attempt to create a fact-based story to bind readers," Jagannath added.
Divided in 10 chapters, the book uses lavish photographs to illustrate the themes taken up in them and brings out Mithila and Madhubani as a centre of cultural cohesion where people from different communities live and work together since centuries.
It is an outcome of months of research done by the team belonging to the management institute and several experts on Mithila culture.
The book elaborately describes Madhubani painting and its journey from walls and floors of village houses to paper and its increasing popularity across the world. The paintings were done to decorate houses, especially during festivities like marriage and pujas. The themes are drawn from nature and legends from the Hindu religion.
It also talks about the tools and how British colonial officer William G. Archer discovered the rich painting style for the world while he was inspecting the damage in the region after the devastating earthquake of 1934.
Nitish Mishra said the book is just a beginning and many more will be brought out on varied subjects that deserved to be documented for the posterity.
