From Majnu Bhai to Picaso of Bihar: Portrait gifted to Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary turns into meme fest

PATNA: A portrait gifted to Bihar chief minister Samrat Chaudhary by a Patna-based builder has triggered a meme fest on social media, with many users comparing the artwork to the infamous “Majnu Bhai painting” from the Bollywood film Welcome.Sanjeev Shrivastav met the newly appointed Bihar CM on Monday and presented him with several gifts, including a hand-drawn portrait.Photos from the meeting were shared on Shrivastav’s social media account.However, it was the portrait that quickly stole attention online — though not for the reasons intended.The black-and-white sketch showed Samrat Chaudhary with exaggerated wide eyes, a thick beard, prominent eyelashes and cartoonish ears, giving the portrait an unintentionally caricature-like appearance.Within hours, screenshots of the image began circulating widely on X and Instagram, where meme pages mocked the artwork.One user joked, “Never seen a sketch so close to reality.” Some sarcastically suggested the artist deserved a national honour, with one post reading: “This year’s Bharat Ratna for best sketch artist goes to Sanjeev Shrivastav.”Another user sarcastically called Shrivastav the “Picasso of Bihar”.One viral comment read, “Legendary artist Sanjeev Srivastava who drew Bihar CM’s portrait has claimed he will draw PM’s portrait too if fuel prices are not reduced by tomorrow morning.”The Indian Youth Congress also joined the online banter, posting a zoomed-in image of the portrait on X with the caption: “Guess who?”As the memes multiplied, Shrivastav quietly deleted the image showing the portrait presentation from his Instagram account, though other photos from the meeting reportedly remained online.While portraits are often gifted to political leaders, social media users felt this particular sketch looked more like an internet meme than a ceremonial artwork.Samrat Chaudhary was sworn in as Bihar’s 24th chief minister last month, becoming the first BJP leader to occupy the state’s top post.