Manisha Jha (b. 1968) The universe Acrylic on paper Size: 76 cm x 56 cm The Artist: Manisha is a self-taught artist. Born into a community whose women have been practicing art during festivals and ceremonies for generations, she started painting at a young age after watching her grandmother Phoolmaya Devi, mother Manju Jha and other women in the small town of Raghopur, Saharsa District, north Bihar. After her family moved to Delhi, Manisha completed her schooling and a Diploma in Interior Designing and Display from New Delhi Polytechnic for Women. Following her sister Bandana she graduated in architecture from Institute of Environmental Design, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat. Along with her professional degrees, she continued her self-learning process in Madhubani painting. Her educational career promoted new dimensions within her paintings. By the time she finished her Masters in Urban and Regional Planning in Gujarat, Manisha decided to exhibit her work publicly after having been inspired by artists and art centres in Delhi and Vadodara. Manisha's first exhibition was sponsored by India International Center, New Delhi in 1998; in the same year she exhibited her works in Goa and Gujarat and from then on, started a full-fledged artistic career along with her architectural practice. Along with her sisters Puja and Bandana, she has been taking workshops throughout the country to introduce people from all walks of life different aspects of Madhubani paintings. She established the Madhubani Art Centre in 2003, and she started a free school for women at Bhojpandaul village in Bihar, attended by more than five hundred people. Work in International Collections: Essl Museum, Vienna, Austria General electric's New-York and India. BBDO ASIA, New- York and India. Victorinox, swiss army knives, Head office, Switzerland. British high commission, New-Delhi Smt. Sonia Gandhi, President National Congress Committee, India Indira Gandhi, National Centre for Arts, New Delhi. Smt. Shiela Dixit, Chief Minister of New Delhi. Sankho Chaudhuri, Sculptor, New Delhi. Shobha De & Dilip De Lalit Kala Academy, Panjim, Goa. Shri Pratap Singh Rane, Ex. C.M., Goa. Shri Ashok Ghosh, Governor Rotary International, New Delhi.