Born in 1953, at Mysore M Girija, also known as Girija Manjanath, trained in model sculpting and the Mysore style of painting. Her work presents a fine assimilation of the original ornamentation of Mysore style, within contemporary designs and depictions. Characterized by the use of gold leaf, her depiction of benevolent faces evokes bhakti bhava. Besides colourful paintings of epics and icons featuring gods and goddesses, her repertoire includes tiny Ganjifa playing cards, as well as large pillars and corners. Using super-fine brushes and natural pigments, she gives her work an antique finish. Girija also trained in music and worked as a banker for over two decades before taking to full time art. Her work has been exhibited at Mysore Dasara Show and at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat, besides in galleries at Mumbai, New Delhi and other cities within the country as well as in USA, UK, Singapore, and Japan. She has also done restoration work, conducted workshops, given lectures and written for magazines and books. Recipient of the Karnataka State Handicrafts Award, her creations are housed at Sri Sankara Mutt, CAVA, Mathura Temple and in other corporate and personal collections in India and abroad. The artist lives and works in Mysore.