The project idea came to me from a childhood memory that I had about Asia’s largest animal fair, Sonepur Mela, or Harihar-Kchetra Mela. I still remember that when I was a kid, my father used to take me to this mela along with my siblings. It used to be one of the most fascinating and anticipated times of the whole year. Crowds and lots and lots of toys, giant rotating swings, magic shows, the well of death, and the most attracting, the animal and bird market. I used to insist that my father buy a rabbit from there. Although he never bought it. Apart from all these attractions, there were so many other things that I still remember as beautiful experiences.

Having this opportunity to study visual ethnography, I thought it would be a great experience for me to again go back to the place where my beautiful memories lie, i.e., the Sonepur cattle fair. Through this study, an in-depth sense of cultural and social behaviour could be developed.

A 25-year-old NGO run by Shasthi Nath Jha at Ranti in Madhubani, working for women's empowerment through the famous regional folk art. Providing utilitarian value to the art and generating livelihoods for local people Painting done on clothes, pots, toys, and puppets

Bihar has a very glorious past. Its past has had a great influence on Indian history. But over the decades, this glory of Bihar has been lost. Be it for reasons like politics, geography, development, or anything else, contemporary Bihar seems to no longer reflect its past. On the other hand, it is considered one of the most backward states in the country nowadays.

This project aims to understand the contemporary aspects and realities of social life in Bihar and depict them through Madhubani painting.

The project is an exploration of the possibilities of animation using the Madhubani painting style. The moments in animation are achieved using digital puppets. The narrative content is inspired by incidents from the Ramayana, like Taadka’s Vadh and Sita’s Swayamwar. Thus, the project shares the same spirit as Madhubani painting by adopting the commonly painted Ramayana’s theme.