Mithila paintings' online sale a hit

Patna: With the growing popularity of online shopping, legendary Mithila artist Padma Shri Sita Devi's family has launched an exclusive website for online marketing of Mithila paintings.
Named 'eMithila Art - the art of Mithila', the website was launched in December, 2015 by the grandchildren of Sita Devi. It has received encouraging response. Suman Jha, her great grandson, said, "One can find many websites selling Mithila paintings.Buyers can even find them at high-end shopping complexes in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. But in these shops, the profit margin of sellers is very high and only a small part of the price reaches the painter in villages. So, we thought of launching our own website to reach all corners of the country."
The website mainly has creations by Mithilesh Jha, Dinesh Jha, Prabhat Jha and Pawan Jha - the four grandchildren of Sita Devi. One can find paintings on wall-hangers, saris, kurtas and bedsheets in different sizes, colours and materials. Buyers can also get the paintings personalized by coordinating with painters. The minimum price of paintings is Rs 1,000, including delivery charge. Besides the Jha family, the creations of 20 painters of the village can also be ordered through the website.
Suman said, "Our family is still based at village Jitwarpur in Madhubani district. A major population of the village is dependent on Mithila art. Bringing the art online is one small step towards our commitment of uplifting Mithila art. We took it as our responsibility to help in improving the socio-economic life of women of Mithila. We want to make people aware that Mithila painting are not just an art form but a culture which is followed by millions of people of Mithila region for thousands of years."
"We do not take online orders from foreign shores as during winter, a large number of foreigners come to Madhubani. They stay in villages, order their requirements and take delivery. So, for now, we are delivering orders only in India. All paintings are handmade, that is our guarantee," Suman said.