Brush stroke of genius: Painting campaign helps save trees

Artists painting roadside trees and leaves in Madhubani district of Bihar

Artists from a district in India’s Bihar state have found a quirky way of helping to save thousands of trees.

The artists in Madhubani district have been painting trees and leaves — with coats of vibrant colours depicting images of Hindu deities — to save the environment on a stretch of five kilometres from Rampatti to Rajnagar locality in Madhubani district.

In the past three years since the campaign was launched, many trees in that area which normally were the prime targets for local villagers have been spared the axe.

The artists’ logic was that the depiction of deities on trees would deter people from cutting trees and the idea has proved successful.

The tree art, in the style of the of world-famed Madhubani painting.  Madhubani painting, also known as Mithila painting, is a style of Indian painting practised in north-eastern region of Bihar which is done with fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens and even matchsticks using natural colours and is characterised by eye-catching geometrical patterns.

There are paintings for various occasions and festivals — such as births, marriages, Holi — and also about Hindu legends.

The idea is the brainchild of a local villager Shashthi Nath Jha who has been working for the women empowerment and rehabilitation of child labour.

(http://gulfnews.com/culture/environment/brush-stroke-of-genius-painting-campaign-helps-save-trees-1.1936072)