Bhopal
Madhya Pradesh’s famous Baiga tribal artist Jodhaiya Bai Baiga, who was awarded the fourth highest civilian award Padma Shri last year, died at her native village in Umaria district on Sunday. The 86-year-old had suffered paralysis on the right side of her body in January this year and had been unwell since then.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief at her demise. He said that the Jodhaiya Bai, the pride of Umaria district, contributed significantly to popularising Baiga painting in the country and abroad. The CM said that the world of tribal painting has suffered an irreparable loss due to her demise. He prayed to Baba Mahakal to give peace to the departed soul and strength to the bereaved family to bear the sorrow.
Life was not easy for Jodhaiyabai aka Amma. Orphaned at the age of one and raised by her brothers, she earned name and fame with her outstanding artistic style over a span of just one decade.
Interestingly, she took up painting at the ripe age of 70 years, proving in the process that there is no age bar for learning. She learnt painting from Ashish Swami, a well-known art teacher, who ran a studio ‘Jan-gan Tasweerkhana’ in the district. Swami, unfortunately, died during the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic and could not see his disciple winning the coveted Padma Shri for her contribution to the field of arts.
She started depicting tribal culture on canvas as a fish takes to water. And from canvas she also mastered her art on paper, clay, metal and wood. National and international recognition followed soon with her work exhibited internationally in multiple countries. The Baiga Art mural painter’s artistic style has often been compared to that of Jangarh Singh Shyam.
“My mother passed away when I was six months old and my father passed away when I was one-year-old. I had three brothers who brought me up and arranged my wedding. After that I lost my husband when I reached 40 years of age. At that time, I had two sons and I was pregnant with a six-month old daughter,” Jodhaiyabai had told reporters after being conferred the Padma Shri.
“After that I had faced various problems. I somehow manage to earn my livelihood by working as a labourer and other works. Later on, my sons became older and they started becoming independent. When Guru ji (Ashish Swami) came here from Mumbai, he told my son to bring your mother here so she would work here and asked my son to do it as well,” she had pointed out.
“We both started working there. When Guruji called me then I said I could not work here as I don’t know how to read and write. Then he asked me to draw on the floor with a thin wooden stick and I started drawing vegetables with the stick on the floor. After that he started giving papers and asked me to draw on paper. I gradually shifted to the canvas,” Amma had said.
Earlier, in 2022, she received the Nari Shakti Puraskar in recognition of her achievements.
