Geru is the earth-pigment, people’s variant of Madhubani — paper first washed with cow dung, then painted in earthy ochres and reds with thick, prominent black lines and little of the dense ornament of the courtly styles. It grew especially among Dalit and Harijan communities and, like Godna, claimed the tradition on its own terms.
Plain, strong and direct, Geru is a reminder that Mithila’s art has always belonged to the whole of its society, not only to its elites.