India Post June 18 2004.

Voice of Indians Worldwide.

California, Washington DC, Chicago, Atlanta, New York

JAPANESE technique blends with Indian motifs.

San Francisco, CA:

`Nihonga ' is an eco friendly Japanese technique of painting which uses rock mineral pigments on hand made paper and Indian artist Madhu Jain is one name who has specialised in this art form. Combining Indian motifs to the Japanese technique, Jain depicts Indian folk life and nature in her work.

Currently in San Francisco for an exhibition of her paintings ...Jain displays an uncanny knack of being able to bring out the vivacity and the brilliance of the colorful state of Rajasthan.She says-`Nihonga is close to real life projection than abstractism and modernism. Nihonga is focussed on feeling. It locates the essence moving beyond surface reality.'

Madhu has had several solo exhibitions both in India and abroad and is a recipient of National and International awards. During September 2002 her exhibition went to Tokyo as an event of the 50th anniversary of Japan-India diplomatic relations. Thereafter it was shown in Singapore. Charity institutions have selected her works for their New Year cards in the past many years. Her paintings have been auctioned both in India and abroad to raise money for trauma situations like earthquakes and activities like paralympics etc.

She is perhaps the only Indian participating artist, whose exhibition has been selected by the prestigious NAJAS (National Association of Japan America Societies, USA) as an official event of the 150th anniversary of Japan - US relations this year..