India / Padma awardee Dulari Devi gifts her artwork to PM Modi, PM shares pic

New Delhi: People's Padma awardee Dulari Devi gifted Prime Minister Narendra Modi her artwork during his informal interaction with the recipients of Padma awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Dulari, who is a Madhubani painting artist from Bihar's Madhubani, was conferred the Padma Shri by President Ram Nath Kovind on November 9.

PM Modi took to Twitter to express his gratitude towards Dulari for her gift.

"Dulari Devi Ji is among those who have been conferred the #PeoplesPadma. She is a talented artist who hails from Madhubani in Bihar. During the informal interaction with the awardees after the ceremony, she presented to me her artwork. Humbled by her gesture. My gratitude to her," PM Modi tweeted on Thursday.

The PM shared a picture of himself interacting with Dulari. He also posted a snap of the Madhubani painting gifted by Dulari.

The 53-year-old artist cannot read or write. She never went to school and was married off at the age of 13. Her husband abandoned her after her infant daughter died.

Durali started working as a domestic help in the house of Mahasundari Devi, who made Mithila paintings. Mahasundari noticed Dulari’s interest in art and enrolled her in a small training course on Madhubani paintings organised by the government. She hasn’t put down her brushes since.

She has travelled across the country on governmental contracts for her art and ekes a livelihood by teaching Madhubani painting to children.

Dulari's life journey had been published as a book.