The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today presented to the Lord Mayor of Hannover a Madhubani painting depicting various stages of life, association with nature, as also the interconnected nature of life on Earth. The painting is painted on canvas by a 70-year old national award winning artist, Smt Baua Devi.

The Madhubani style of painting refers to the rural art form developed by women from Mithila, an area in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. The painting is done with fingers, nib–pens, twigs and matchsticks, generally using natural dyes and pigments, and is characterized by eye-catching geometrical patterns. Most Madhubani paintings depict man and his association with nature, and scenes and deities from ancient epics. Natural objects, plants, social events are also represented in these paintings. There are paintings for each occasion and festival.