I’m Sudhira Karn, a 53-year-old resident of Janakpur in Nagrain Municipality ward number 2. I live with my son, who supports the family by working at a private institution. 

I started painting when I was very young.  I have been employed by JWDC since 1998 A.D. I used to draw pictures of the wedding ceremony. I am a devoted follower of the Hindu religion. This has encouraged me to do paintings.  I had an opportunity to learn from my mother, aunt, and grandmother, who were all artists. They introduced me to many Mithila art styles, including Kober, Arpan, traditional animal paintings, and many other forms of Mithila painting.

Though I used to get very less in the work, it has taught me more about the diversity of Mithila Painting. They helped us correct our errors in painting and constantly inspired, motivated, and supported us. I prefer working at the office to working from home because I get to meet friends, learn new things about Mithila paintings, hear gossip, and have peace of mind to concentrate just on art. I can use my work to communicate my emotions and feelings with others. I feel very happy when I make the artwork of Krishna Radha, Shiv Parvati, and Ram Janaki.

I consider myself lucky to get the opportunity to take part in an exhibition hosted in Belgium, Europe. This exhibition helps me understand, “Why are Mithila’s women married just once in a lifetime?” as well as the Hindu religious text known as the Vedas. I recently had the chance to take part in a training course that was hosted in Kathmandu.

Other than being an artist, I had other ambitions as a child, but not all dreams come true. I completed class 9 at my hometown village secondary school but was unable to continue due to my father’s illness and the family’s financial difficulties. I was the oldest of four children. I had to look after my family. I began painting. My family has always encouraged and supported my artistic endeavors. Society used to demotivate me frequently, but my family has always supported and inspired me.

The JWDC has been helping many women like me and is working hard to uplift Mithila Painting, but the current state of JWDC is not great as a result of lower income creation brought on by weak product sales and a lack of funding. I kindly request everyone to continue to help in spreading the word about our traditional Mithila painting.