Once unsure about her future, today Alisha Perween, from Bihar is on her way to becoming a sure-footed Madhubani artist. All thanks to a women’s empowerment programme, this school-goer now has concrete ideas about what to do next.
At 17 years of age, Alisha Perween, who belongs to Bihar’s Patna district, has the wherewithal to pay her own pre-board exam fee. Her relatively disadvantaged background has not held her back from carving out a niche for herself as a Madhubani artist, and supporting herself.
And this was made possible thanks to the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) India’s ‘Project Lehar’ initiative. The women’s empowerment programme, run by the foundation, shows rural women from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar how to “learn, earn and thrive”.
“On average, my earnings even out to Rs 10,000 in a year, or Rs 3000 to Rs 4000 per order,” Alisha shares with Village Square. While that may not seem much to a city-dweller, for a teenage girl from a rural background, it’s enough to take care of her study and painting expenses, and then some. For Alisha, this is the headstart to a life she always dreamed of.
Alisha has four siblings, three of whom are in grade 12 like herself. “My brother, who is also studying in class 12, makes autorickshaw seats in his spare time to earn money,” says Alisha.
During the Covid pandemic, the family had a hard time making ends meet as the children’s father, who currently resides in Saudi Arabia, was out of work. “Our father had to borrow money from friends to meet household expenses,” she recalls.
This was also a time when the future of Alisha and her siblings hung in the balance as schools had shut down because of the pandemic.
“Then my mother told me about the AKF India’s programme,” remembers Alisha.
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Sometime in 2022, she enrolled in AKF India’s ‘Project Lehar’ initiative, which has been running since 2015, and works to empower young women in rural Uttar Pradesh and Bihar with skills.
“AKF India reopened the training centre that Alisha would come to during the Covid pandemic. At this centre we give training to girls between the ages of 16 and 29. We are going to complete 10 years now,” says Kangkana Bordoloi, Programme Officer, Work and Enterprise, Aga Khan Foundation.
Though Alisha had enrolled to master stitching, a Madhubani painting that she recreated from a piece she saw online blew her trainers away.
“There were other girls at our training centre who wanted to learn how to make Madhubani paintings. We got a Bihar state awardee, Sneha Sinha, to come in and teach the girls during a three-day workshop,” says Bordoloi.
Alisha, who gave up the stitching training, was one of the girls who was trained at the Madhubani art workshop. “In fact, of the 15-odd girls we trained, Alisha was the only one who took this discipline forward,” informs Bordoloi.
After the workshop, members of ‘Project Lehar’ helped Alisha with life skills to establish herself as a commercial Madhubani artist. “For instance, I was finding it hard to juggle my academic responsibilities alongside being a Madhubani artist. Ms Bordoloi, and the people at AKF India, guided me on getting both tasks done,” she says.
Also, the income stream from selling Madhubani paintings wasn’t lucrative, and Alisha admits to having second thoughts about being an artist. “The AKF India, through ‘Project Lehar’ helped Alisha identify how to use her resources to generate more wealth,” points out Bordoloi.
In 2023 Alisha received her first order – a consignment of painted pouches – that earned her Rs 3000. She used this sum for domestic expenses. She was also able to purchase brushes and paints to implement her second order with this money.
The trainers at AKF India taught me how to allocate resources for painting and how to charge for it. I learnt that the time and money I invest in making a painting determines its final price.
“The trainers at AKF India taught me how to allocate resources for painting and how to charge for it. I learnt that the time and money I invest in making a painting determines its final price,” says Alisha.
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In 2024, Alisha was a part of learning exposure programmes that were conducted by AKF India. “We went to the Patna state museum, to galleries, a state training centre and to a SARAS mela (fair) where the girls got to see a lot of Madhubani paintings,” recalls Bordoloi.
Alisha says this trip inspired her to make and sell more. “She was asking a lot of questions during the outings including how to get more customers and take Madhubani painting forward as a profession,” adds Bordoloi.
On December 19, 2024, Alisha attended an AKF India event where state and district-level officials were expected. Here, she got an opportunity to display her paintings at a stall.
“A gentleman liked one of my paintings and purchased it for Rs 250,” says Alisha, who is still elated at the recollection. “I used this money to pay the fee of my pre-board exam, two days before the deadline,” she adds.
Two months ago, Alisha became a Madhubani art trainer with AKF India’s ‘Project Lehar’. She trained 12 girls in how to do this form of art. “Though I conducted this session free of cost, this being my first, it was an empowering feeling to be a trainer in the same place where I had once been a student,” reveals Alisha.
At 17, Alisha says she has come a long way from the time she first enrolled with AKF India’s ‘Project Lehar’ to learn stitching. Today her parents also support her line of work, making her feel secure, confident and ready to take on the world.
“I am currently pursuing my class 12 studies with my work as a Madhubani artist. I work from home, and also plan to take my business online through platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram, besides selling offline,” says Alisha, attributing her newfound interest in online platforms to Bordoloi’s training.
Another order of 75 pieces is in her kitty and for now, it seems that the world is her oyster. Alisha’s example demonstrates the importance of skill development in a country teeming with potential, and how the small successes of someone with rural roots can add up to a big difference in the larger scheme of things.
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The lead image on top depicts 17-year-old Alisha Perween, a Madhubani artist from Bihar who benefitted from a women’s empowerment programme that altered the course of her life. (Photo courtesy Aga Khan Foundation India)
Smriti Mukerji is a freelance journalist based out of New Delhi.
