Born in Darbhanga, Bihar in 1930, Dutta spent her childhood steeped in the rich art culture of her region. At the age of six, she began practicing Madhubani art in secret, afraid that her mother, an experienced artist, would judge her work. On the contrary, she encouraged Dutta to pursue her newfound passion for Madhubani. At the age of 17, Dutta got married, and gave birth to her son.

Dutta's life was plagued with challenges after marriage- her husband abandoned her and left her to raise her son all alone. She joined a wave of Madhubani artists who were being encouraged by Bhaskar Kulkarni (subject of August's Famous Artist Spotlight) and the All India Handicrafts Board to monetize their artwork, and used her talent for Madhubani to earn her income. Dutta didn't stop there- she also empowered other women in rural areas of India to rise from poverty through art by founding a non-governmental organization called Mithila Kala Vikas Samiti, which promoted education for rural Indian women. She also volunteered with India’s Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) to train artists. Cumulatively, throughout her 35-year career, she trained over 50,000 artists in the Madhubani style.

Dutta gained international fame for her work, and her paintings have been exhibited in countries such as Germany and Japan. Within India, she was the subject of lots of attention from people like Indira Gandhi, who visited Bihar during a drought and observed the Madhubani art in its villages. At the age of 93, Dutta was given the Padma Shri Civilian Award, joining a long legacy of Madhubani artists to receive this prestigious honor.