Dilip Guha, New Delhi : As the glowing lamps of Diwali fade and the holy aura of Chhath Puja rises on the banks of Bihar’s rivers, a unique confluence of devotion and traditional art is unfolding in Gaya. Among the many voices celebrating faith this season, one stands out—not in song, but in colour, brush, and bamboo.
Priyanka Mahto, daughter of the late Sonu Mahto and Mrs Pramila Devi of Bokaro Steel City of Jharkhand, has brought a deeply rooted cultural practice into the spotlight with her breathtaking Madhubani artworks on soops (traditional winnowing baskets)—an offering not just to the gods, but to heritage itself.
The Sacred Canvas: Soops Turn into Stories
On the tranquil banks of the Banshi River, behind the Kasturba Gandhi Girls’ have depicted the essence of Chhath Puja through Madhubani art on a traditional bamboo winnowing basket (soop). The soop, made of bamboo, symbolises lineage and heritage. In my artwork, I have illustrated a woman offering prayers to Surya Dev (the Sun God), along with other devotees.
Inside the soop, I have portrayed Surya Dev and the praying woman, surrounded by various ritual offerings such as fruits, vermilion, water, milk, incense sticks, betel leaves, and water chestnuts—each representing the sacred elements of the Chhath Puja tradition.
This art is not just visual; it is spiritual. It is a reflection of inner awakening, a celebration of tradition, and a bridge between devotion and creativity.”
She credits her spiritual grounding to Swami Sadguru ji and the practices of Inner Engineering and sacred Mudras, which she says have cultivated deep inner stillness and joy. “Art has become a form of meditation for me—a silent dialogue between the soul and the divine,” she adds.
Art as Service: Teaching, Gifting, Inspiring
For Priyanka, creativity is incomplete unless it uplifts others. Over the last five years, she has been teaching Madhubani painting free of cost to girls in schools and at cultural events across the region. Her initiative is sowing the seeds of skill, self-reliance, and self-expression in young minds—especially those with limited access to creative opportunities.
This Chhath, she is going a step further. Instead of keeping her painted soops for exhibition, she has pledged to gift them to women devotees as sacred tools for their rituals—each one a fusion of devotion, art, and community spirit. Local residents and the school community have called her a “living example of folk art”, and her work is being seen as not just artistic expression but as cultural preservation and empowerment.
A Living Legacy of Light and Line
In an age where traditions often fade into silence, Priyanka Mahto’s brush brings them roaring back to life—vivid, vibrant, and full of meaning. Her Madhubani art doesn’t just tell stories; it revives them, reinterprets them, and returns them to the people, especially to the women who are at the heart of Chhath Puja. Her work is more than decoration; it is dedication. More than art—it is an offering. And in every winnowing basket she paints, a tradition is honoured, a goddess is worshipped, and a legacy continues.
