Samastipur: What began as simple drawings in school notebooks has grown into a successful business for Advani, a 30-year-old artist from Satanpur village in Samastipur district of Bihar. As a child, he loved to draw and paint, often using old notebooks and discarded CD cases as his canvas. Today, he runs his own company, Advani Trades, which earns between Rs 45 and 50 lakhs every year and works across Bihar as well as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Odisha.
Advani’s confidence in art developed when he was in class 8. In 2006, he took part in a district-level painting competition with nearly 100 students and won first prize. His achievement was published in a local newspaper, making his parents proud and encouraging him to take art seriously. However, his journey was not smooth. After passing matriculation in 2012 with average marks, he faced academic struggles and family pressure. Though he once dreamed of joining the army, circumstances pushed him to focus on painting and later complete a fine arts degree from Patna Arts College.
The early days of his career were challenging. Advani recalls being cheated of his wages after working for a week at a job. Instead of giving up, he decided to start his own work. Gradually, he built a reputation and formed a team. Today, 15 artists work with him, including graduates from BHU, JNU and Mumbai’s JJ School of Arts. Depending on experience, they earn between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000 per day, making art a stable source of income.
Much of Advani Trades’ work focuses on public awareness. His team paints messages on water conservation, cleanliness, women empowerment and saving the girl child on government walls. During the Covid-19 pandemic, they created murals to spread health awareness. After presenting his work at an IAS meet in Patna in 2019, government projects began coming in regularly. Advani believes art should serve society and history, and his journey proves that even a simple passion, when supported by effort and vision, can lead to lasting success.
