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When Gods play spot boys by Santosh Kumar Das (Edition #3)

Santosh (b. 1962) is a Mithila artist by both choice and birth. Born into a family of painters, he was introduced to this art in early childhood. In the early 60s, with the help of the Indian central government, painting on paper was introduced to the Madhubani community. Santosh’s family became an epicentre of the activities of painting and selling. He had a congenital flair for drawing, and so he went to an art college after finishing high school. Art school taught him new things, but his traditional art kept tugging at his heart. After graduating, Santosh relearnt the elements of this art through a detailed study of the renowned artist Ganga Devi, a pioneer of Mithila art. He started painting and selling to visitors who would come to his village, Ranti. His art went through a change as he began experimenting, and new themes found their way into it. In the early 2000s, Santosh painted a large series based on communal riots which won him great praise. He also taught at a school in the nearby town of Madhubani that provided training in Mithila Art for six years. His series on the communal riots helped him understand the illustrative powers of the folk language. He was invited to talks at Texas University and other American universities. He has also illustrated a pictorial autobiography. Santosh continues to travel where his art takes him, always returning to his village for artistic nourishment. He has been part of countless solo and group shows and travelled widely to talk about his art form. Being a hard core movie buff, I always felt that movie halls were my temples while growing up. Big B was like a protective wall against the ugliness or harshness of everyday life. I would wonder if there was a divine hand that helped me receive the magic of matinee idols in the darkness of the theatre only to be transported into the world of imagination and beauty. To a young childs mind, it seemed the movie stars were like gods who could change themselves into whoever they wished.