India’s famous Mithila art grabs Japanese eyeballs! Mesmerized by the beauty of India’s Mithila folk paintings, Japan is planning to engrave similar art designs on its trains. Indian Railways move to engrave Mithila paintings on its trains has left a very positive impression on other countries, according to a Dainik Bhaskar report. Japan has requested the Piyush Goyal-led Railway Ministry to send a team of Mithila artists so that the same can be implemented there as well, the report said. The Mithila or Madhubani art form, which is famous all over the world, belongs to Bihar’s Mithila region. The folk art form is popular for using unique geometric patterns to create vibrant and colourful paintings. A railway ministry official told Financial Express Online that a team of Madhubani artists may be sent to Japan.
Last year in the month of August, Indian Railways painted the coaches of Bihar Sampark Kranti Express with traditional Mithila art work. The superfast train runs between Darbhanga in Bihar and Delhi. Apart from superfast Bihar Sampark Kranti Express, two other trains namely Rajdhani Express and Jansadharan Express were also decorated with similar design patterns. As many as 22 coaches of the Patna Rajdhani Express train, inside as well as outside were decorated with beautiful Mithila paintings.
The idea to decorate Indian Railways’ trains with the traditional Mithila art form started from Madhubani railway station in Bihar. It was reported that the trend, which was widely appreciated was soon followed by other railway stations of Bihar like Patna Junction, Rajendra Nagar station and Danapur station. The station decoration initiative was launched at Madhubani railway station as a part of the beautification and cleanliness project of Indian Railways which also highlighted the skill of local Mithila artists. Last year, the Madhubani railway station in Bihar also won an award in a station beautification competition, which was organized at Rail Bhavan.
