Madhya Pradesh: Durga Bai Vyom never had the opportunity to receive an education at school. The unbiasedness of life disappoints many. Women just as capable as men, do not enjoy the same privileges as men only because of their gender. 

Durga earned a living as a house cleaner in the village she lived. In the year 2022, she was awarded one of the most prestigious awards of the Indian government, Padma Shri. Let’s take a peek into her life story and find out how she managed to achieve this great feat.

Born into a poor household

Durga was born into a life of poverty. Her father did not have enough money to educate all his kids properly. Durga and her sisters were taught to do household chores at a very young age so that they could work as house help and contribute to the family earnings. At the age of 15, Durga was married off to Subhash Vyom, who was a famous sculpture artist in the town. 

Making tribal art

Durga was not sent to school; inspired by looking at young children dressed up in their school uniforms, she started making tribal art on her own at the age of 6. She grabbed a pencil when she was not even taught how to hold a pencil and started drawing. 

She was fond of making art and took inspiration from various places. With consistent practice, her art slowly developed into beautiful, refined Gond paintings. She learned the art of Digna from her mother and grandmother, where an artist paints intricate designs on the walls. This is a form of expression in local tribal communities and a very popular art form during marriage and other festivals. 

Exploring new artforms

Fortunately, Durga’s husband was himself an artist who helped her explore her artistic interests in a more defined and meaningful way. He got a job at the Indira Gandhi National Manav Sanghralaya in Bhopal. 

This was Durga’s golden chance to learn about different kinds of art. Here, at the museum, Durga met Gond artists Jangarh Singh Shyam and Anand Singh Shyam. Durga’s talent and spirit were quickly noticed by these professional artists, and they willingly taught her new techniques of Gond art. 

Durga decided that she would continue living in the city of Bhopal to hone her skills. It’s a sad reality that artists don’t get paid enough for the precision they put into their work. Durga’s husband’s salary was not enough for both of them. In search of another source of income, she started working as a house cleaner again. 

Durga’s primary aim was to sharpen her skills as an artist. She and her husband raised three children while struggling to form their identity as artists. She hoped to display her paintings in exhibitions. Her dream was turned into reality when in 1997, her first painting was presented at an exhibition where she received loads of appreciation. 

After her first step in this industry, she got many opportunities to showcase the brilliance of her tribal art form and received awards like Rani Durgavati National Awards and Vikram Award.

International exhibitions

Art speaks of a person’s emotions and struggles with life; Durga’s art was deeply influenced by her life as a tribal woman in a backward community. She is an Ambedkarite and seeks inspiration from his life and also depicts Dr Ambedkar’s fight for justice in her paintings. 

Her art is now recognized globally as she participates in international cultural programs.  Durgabai and Subhash Vyom’s extremely popular graphic novel called ‘Bhimayana’ talks about various issues that Dr Ambedkar struggled through.
 
Through her Gond Paintings, Durga has received global recognition and was awarded the Padma Shri award by the President for performing extraordinarily in her field.