Tracing Madhesh between memory and modernity

Artist Hare Ram Yadav’s ‘From Siraha to Kathmandu’ captures a region negotiating change, where village traditions and agricultural transformations coexist in complex ways.

The exhibition ‘From Siraha to Kathmandu ’ is a sizable 28-piece collection of paintings that gives Kathmandu audiences an opportunity to familiarise themselves with life in the Mithila heartlands. Artist Hare Ram Yadav, born and raised in Siraha, has illustrated various aspects of life in Madhesh as he has seen it. From the retelling of the famous myth of “Lok Debta Salhesh” to depictions of several religious and cultural symbols, such as those of happiness and protection, among others, the exhibition leaves little more to be asked for in the way of an honest portrayal of village life.