Shanti Devi and Shivan Paswan

Shanti Devi and her husband, Shivan Paswan, are Mithila painters from Laheriaganj in Bihar, known for the Godna style of Madhubani art, which draws on tattoo motifs. They were jointly named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of art, from Bihar ^[1].

Shanti Devi

Shanti Devi was born on 4 March 1958 into a poor Dalit family and faced caste discrimination and hardship from childhood ^[2]. Despite opposition she studied and became a teacher ^[2]. When she turned to Mithila painting, she again met resistance because of her background, but with other artists she helped develop the Godna style ^[2].

The artist Upendra Maharathi helped bring her work to wider notice, and she won the Bihar state award in 1979–80 and the National Award in 1984 ^[2]. Her paintings take in the life of the Buddha, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and themes inspired by B. R. Ambedkar, and have been shown abroad ^[2]. She also trains young women in the art ^[2].

Shivan Paswan

Shivan Paswan was born on 4 March 1956 into a very poor family and struggled to get an education ^[2]. He began painting during a severe famine, when Mithila art, until then painted on walls and floors, was becoming a source of income for struggling families ^[2]. Through Upendra Maharathi he came into contact with the Institute of Industrial Design ^[2].

He took Mithila painting onto paper and cloth and painted new subjects, including the stories of Raja Salhesh, Dina-Bhadri and the Buddha ^[2]. His work is in the Bihar Museum, and he has trained young people from poor backgrounds around Madhubani free of charge ^[2].