Born in 1937, in erstwhile Bengal, Lalu Prasad Shaw received a Diploma in painting from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Kolkata, in 1959. He has exhibited extensively in India and abroad since 1956, and some of his most recent solo shows include ‘Looking in’ at Galerie 88, Kolkata, in 2011-12; ‘Graceful Silence’ and ‘Sepia Notes’ at Art Musings, Mumbai, in 2011 and 2007; ‘The Myriad Minded Artist’ at Gallery Sanskriti, Kolkata, in 2008; and ‘Painting’ at the Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata, in 1995. His work has also been featured in several group shows, and he has participated in art festivals and fairs all over the world since 1956. Shaw has received many awards, including the West Bengal State Lalit Kala Akademi Award in 1959, and the Birla Academy Award, Kolkata, in 1975-78. The artist lives and works in Kolkata.

Madhvi Parekh is an eminent self-taught artist. She was born in 1942 in Sanjaya - a small village in Gujarat 1957, at the age of fifteen, she married Manu Parekh, an Indian artist who studied at the JJ School of Art. They moved first to Ahmedabad, then Mumbai where she did a course in Montessori training. In 1964, they then moved to Kolkata where they lived until 1965 before moving to New Delhi. She started painting in the 1960s.In 1968, Madhvi exhibited her work for the first time at the Birla Academy in Kolkata. One of her paintings was selected to be in the annual show of Lalit Kala Akademi and then purchased by the national institution helping to launch her career. he explored the possibility of depicting her childhood memories through her paintings, where images of fantasy and early days are woven into her entire work, which lend it a surreal, dreamlike quality. Her contemporary style of work gets inspiration from rural India. Beginning with many solos, Madhvi participated in notable group shows such as Play Turkey and Yugoslavia in 1985, Watercolours by Four Women Artists, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal in 1987, and Jahangir Art Gallery, Mumbai in 1987.

Manish Pushkale was born in Bhopal in 1973. Despite being a trained geologist, he also studied art at the Art College in Bhopal and received his Master’s degree from there. His art is intrinsically linked with the mythological, without making overt references to the same. A subdued color palette lends a lingering calm to his works. However, on closer examination, the motifs and symbols in his art come to light, giving them different meanings. Subtle brush strokes and shading create multi-layered meaning. He has done several solo shows including Serendipitous Encounters' at Aicon, Palo Alto, in 2009; ‘Unveiling’ at Bodhi Art, Mumbai, in 2007; and ‘Japa’ at Bodhi Art, New Delhi, in 2006. His work has also been featured as a part of several group exhibitions including 'Vicissitudes of the Constructed Image' at Tangerine Art Space, Bangalore; 'Think Small' at Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi; 'Entity' at MEC Art Gallery, New Delhi; 'Deep In Black' at Galerie Muller and Plate, Munich, all in 2009; 'Empty and Full' at Aakriti Art Gallery, Kolkata; and 'Point and Line to Plane VI' at Gallery Beyond, Mumbai, both in 2008. Pushkale was also a recipient of the S.H. Raza Foundation Award in 2003.

Manoj Dutta is a self-taught artist, who loves to explore traditions of Indian folk art through his works. His admiration for folk artists and their spontaneity is reflected in the immediacy and directness of his work. He has a carefully curated color palette that creates a harmonious balance of depth, texture, and shade. His works are often characterized by their eloquent representations of a singular mood or emotion portrayed through his diverse color palette and fluent use of lines. He has participated in numerous national and international exhibitions in Kolkata, Mumbai, Japan, and South Korea. His work is part of the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, and the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata.

He was born in 1939 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and completed his Diploma in Drawing and Painting from the Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, in the year 1962. His early work portrays the relationships between man and nature. The artist also points out that, since then, contradictions have formed the basis of his artistic practice, no matter the subject or genre of his works. Initially, he acted on stage in Bombay and also worked as a stage designer in Ahmedabad. Joined Weaver’s Service Centre, Bombay, as an Art Designer, in 1963. Design Consultant for Handicraft and Handloom Export Corporation of India in Calcutta, 1965-74 and in Delhi, 1974-1989. Banaras plays an important role in his life and also in his work after his first visit there following his father’s death. This holy city of hope, of faith, of tourists offered him a vast number of contradictions in one location. Parekh also highlights his relationship with his wife Madhvi, who is a self-taught artist. One can find Picasso's influences on his works. His first solo exhibition of graphics and paintings was in Ahmedabad in 1968. His most recent solo shows have included ‘Banaras – Eternity Watches Time’ presented by Saffronart and Berkeley Square Gallery, London, at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, in 2007; 'Banaras' at Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, in 2004; 'Portraits of Flower and Landscapes of River' at Jehangir Art Gallery and Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai, in 2003; 'Ritual Oblations' at Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi, Sakshi Gallery, Bangalore, and Sakshi Gallery and Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, in 1999; and 'Small Drawings' at Sophia Duchesne Art Gallery, Mumbai, in 1991. Parekh has also had solo shows at Bose Pacia Modern in New York and ARKS Gallery in London. He received the President of India's Silver Plaque and the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society Award, New Delhi, in 1972; the National Award from the Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi, in 1982; and the Padma Shree from the Government of India in 1992.

My work directly reflects my background. The Sundarbans area of West Bengal is my birthplace and in that deltaic landscape, it is difficult to travel on foot. One has to cross several rivers as a means of daily commuting. As a boy on my way to school, I was fascinated by the reflections of objects, boats, and people, falling on the placid water of the creeks and inlets, and ponds in this area. During this time of the ebbing and flowing of the tides, the shadows that fell on the water's surface fascinated me. So, when I began to work as a full-fledged artist, all I wanted to depict was this phenomenon of shadows falling on the water's surface. But the challenge before me was how to reflect a hollow pond and the character of the water. The reflection of the tree, so that one could see the change in the contours of the form? Also, the quivering effects of reflection on the surface were another of my concerns. Over time, I also began to link the physical phenomena with my philosophical reflections. I related the quivering surface to a man’s chetana (thinking power). I found that the unrest of questioning minds, the gentle nature of the challenge, and the tenderness of thought could only be reflected through this technique, whereas the blooms on the banks could form the mirror images quivering in the water below. Before long I improved upon this idea and created the lapping of waters around the plants through a slide bend in the forms. I generally use bronze as a medium, it is impossible to depict the landscape in another medium. My initial attempts to depict the scene were through forms such as boats, children swinging from mangrove branches, roots, lotus blooms, etc. Now my space has moved beyond the physical dimensions and serves as a commentary on the unrest in society and the vulnerability of man within that surroundings. MrinalKantiGayen Asstt. Professor Govt. College of Art & Craft, Calcutta Born on: 18 Jan, 1971, at Kakdwip, West Bengal EDUCATION 1996 Graduate (B.V.A.) in Modelling & Sculpture, Govt. College of Art & Craft, Calcutta, 2003 Post Graduate (M.V.A.) in Modelling & Sculpture, Govt. College of Art & Craft, Calcutta,

Nikhil Biswas was born in Kolkata, he was an art activist and a firm believer in collective action. A founder member of the Calcutta Painters Group and The Society of Contemporary Artists. He has completed his diploma in Fine Arts from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Kolkata. ate artist dealt with reality per se and portrayed images that showed the essential loneliness of the human spirit. orking as an illustrator for Bengali news weeklies Darpan and Janasebak Saptahik, and in search for significant images to express the political and social turmoil of his time, Biswas proclaimed humanist preoccupations. His work was a testimony to humanistic ethics. Filled as much with gestures of struggle or pain, as they were with the rebellion against the very suffering they depicted, the paintings were deeply related to his moods. His quest for the root of our existence led him to a point where he felt that dehumanization became the natural order of things. He removed himself from the decorativeness of contemplative Indian art. His monumental rolling pictures show his interest in murals. With all its contemplation, his work is very powerful and intense. Though concerned with having to earn his living, he was keen on creating a body of realistic art that was national in its scope and color. His works traveled abroad and were exhibited in Europe. Some of his drawings are in the permanent collection of the Halle Museum in Dresden, Germany. Despite a very short life span, the artist produced around ten thousand works, mostly black and white drawings on paper.

Partha Shaw is a painter who was schooled in Santiniketan - a place steeped in artistic tradition and history, generated by masters like Nandalal Bose and the Tagores, and enhanced by modern and contemporary artists like K.G. Subramanyan, Sunil Das, and DharmanarayanDasgupta. It was in Santiniketan that Partha Shaw developed his imagination and creative vision. But even though Shaw had this rich and overflowing background to borrow from, he like most of the other artists there, decided to create a style of his own and add to the heritage he learned of, rather than make use of it. Here, he could also closely study nature and the works of the great Indian masters. Taking off from the unique Indian miniature, Shaw gave shape to his vocabulary of artistic expression, which is characteristically Indian and at the same time is loaded with modernity. Shaw works mainly with landscapes but handles them in a very contemporary fashion. Instead of using abstract methods of representation, Shaw, along with some other Bengal artists, has used figures in his paintings to represent what he wants. This movement has very aptly been termed "Figurative Symbolism," a conscious effort to exhort the virtues of the non-abstract. Shaw explains his work and inspiration, "Born in the decaying, overcrowded, bustling Kolkata, the profound stillness of shabbily ornamented, architectural remains, that seems to be lost with the upcoming of modern times traverses through my subconscious thus forcing an emergence of mystery and fantasy conjugated in the human presence. The glory that the Indian miniatures carried lost its importance with the roll of time. My searches always tend to glorify this lost gold on a surface that dictates a torn survival in somber darkness. Nowadays I am trying to incorporate traditional Indian miniature art with contemporary modern art. My medium of painting is acrylic. To portray the architectural loneliness I also use some graphical qualities." Partha Shaw was born in Kolkata in 1971 and received his BFA and MFA from the VisvaBharati University, Santiniketan. So far most of his showings have been in his city, the exceptions being a couple of exhibitions in New Delhi. Shaw`s first solo show was held in 1995, and hopefully, this young artist, who already has an artistic movement to his credit, will see many more years of fruitful career awaiting him.

She is a practicing artist, a facilitator, and an art consultant. Piu has her way with words and she perfectly translates her thoughts into the images she uses. She is a frequent columnist writing about diverse topics on Art Education and her articles are published in various magazines across India as well as in Virginia, United States. She is an enthusiast of children’s illustrations and she likes to write for her younger audiences and readers. Piu Mahapatra is an alumna of Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan. Presently living in the United States, Virginia, she frequents her hometown in Kolkata.

Prabhakar Kolte's early work shows the strong influence of Paul Klee. Indeed, Klee`s influence was felt by many of Kolte`s classmates studying at the J.J. School of Art in the late 1960s. Kolte`s debt to Klee can be seen in his technique of weathering his stronger colors, adding touches of white to age the effect of an otherwise bold hue. Initially, his canvases are characterized by a single, dominant color in the background, on which lighter and more complex forms are placed, both geometric and organic. He acknowledges his early debt to Klee, he stated - "In those days people used to call me the Indian Paul Klee. It didn`t bother me because I was busy searching for myself." In the early 80s, his work took a new direction as Kolte began experimenting with installation and several art pieces. In one piece, he covered a car with newspaper; in another, he painted a volunteer black and entitled him "A Man Without Shadow". Such off-the-canvas experiments allowed him a free space to play with abstract ideas of color and form outside the shadow of Klee`s influence. On working on canvasses, he sought to "immediately cover up any identifiable image, making sure that my forms would function as pure color in space." His most recent works show a glossier, finished approach to his early themes in paintings. The strong ground color remains, but this time both it and the forms overlaid onto it retain a crispness in line and color: the "weathering" inherited from Klee has dropped out in favor of more finished - and thus more abstracted - fields of color. Kolte spent twenty-two years teaching at his alma mater, the .J. School of Art. He retired in 1994, and now he devotes his time mostly to painting.

Born in 1968, Orissa, after completing his Diploma in Electrical Engineering from Orissa, pursued his BFA in painting from Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, and MFA in painting from M.S. University, Baroda. His scholarships include the Eastern Print Biennale Award in 1995, the National scholarship from the Ministry of Human Resource and Development, in 1996-98, the Nasreen Mohamedi Award in 1999, M.S. University Gold Medal in 2000. SAHU tries to execute things as they appear in reality and give them a different meaning altogether by juxtaposing images from dissimilar areas. His practice could be viewed as re-constructions and investigation of events. In his ongoing series, Sahu examines the ‘unknown multitudes’ that serve society in many different ways for the fulfillment of basic human needs and daily survival, but they are never recognized for their contribution. Sahu’s works intervene in these areas and expose situations and faces that are unrecognized and marginalized yet are important for the fabrication of contemporary society. Sahu’s process starts with photo documentation and interviews which later he reworks in his studio. The intention is not to repeat the reality but rather to juxtapose these data contextually; in his works, photographed and scanned images appear alongside re-created situations. Irrespective of the fact that Sahu works in several different mediums, investigation into the human condition is the thread of commonality running through his métier. Sahu has participated in numerous prestigious shows in India and abroad. To name a few : “Lockdown Diaries” an online group exhibition at CIMA art gallery, Kolkata-2020 / “Art: Bengal Now”, a group show of Bengal Contemporary artists, Curated by Pranab Ranjan Ray, Jointly organized by Gandhara art Gallery, Kolkata and Dhoomimal art Gallery, New Delhi, at Dhoomimal art Gallery, New Delhi-2020 / “Anthology of Anecdotes”, a group show at ganges art gallery, Kolkata-2019 / “Kursi” a group exhibition of Sculptures, Paintings and Installations at Sarjan art Gallery, Baroda, curated by Sandhya Bordeweker-2019/ “Blue India” a group exhibition curated by Insang Song, for Art Asia art Fair-2018, at Kintex Convention Center in Korea, from 22nd to 25th November-2018 / “Text as Text, Part-II”, a group exhibition at gallery Art and Soul, Mumbai, Curated by Subhalaxmi Sukla-2018 / “Constellations” – a group exhibition at Bihar Museum, Patna, Bihar-2018 /“Written on Water” a group exhibition at Gallery Beyond, Mumbai-2018 / “ PART/TRAP” a group show of eleven contemporary artists at Gallery Ragini, New Delhi, Curated by Anoop Kamath-2018 / “ Response” a new-media and installation show at Gems Cinema (an abandoned cinema hall) , Organized by CIMA art gallery, Kolkata; Curated by Rakhi Sarkar-2018 / “ Artists Postcards” at Busan International art Fair, Bexco,Busan,Korea,7th to 11th December 2017, Curated by Artists Center, Mumbai-2017 / “Exhibition of works done at National Artists’ Camp”-with a group of 16 young contemporary artists, Organised by Karnataka Chitrakala Parisath, Bangalore-2017 /Daegu-India Fine arts Exchange Exhibition at ICCR, at Daegu arts centre, 13, exhibition hall, organized by Korean Fine Arts Association in Daegu Branch, South Korea-2017 / - “Project Tihar”- an exhibition of Painting, Drawing, Print, Sculpture, Video and Installation created during a collaborative project with the inmates of Tihar , at Lalit Kala Academy Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi. Curated By Veer Munsi-2017/ - “Studio Gem Revisited” a 6-person show at Cima art gallery, Kolkata-2017/ - “Paper and Pigments” a 7-person show of paper at Gandhara Art Gallery, Kolkata-2017/ -7th Bharat Bhavan Biennial of contemporary Indian art 2017, at Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal-2017/ - CIMA, The Kolkata Art Festival-2017, an exhibition of works curated by CIMA gallery at Studio Gem (Gem Cinema), Kolkata-2027/-Participated in The Odisha Art Conclave-2016, organized by IPCA, at Bhubaneswar, Odisha-2016/ -India Fine Arts Exchange Exhibition, Organizer: Korean Fine Arts Association in Daegu Branch, South Korea-2015/-Participated in Jaipur Art Summit-2014/ -Exhibition of works of International art exchange program, at Faculty of Fine and applied art, Burapha University, Thailand. Participating countries, China, India and Thailand-2014/ "Praxis" - a travelling show at Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi, Patna and Rajgir, 2013/ "India Today, Copenhagen Tomorrow", a sculpture group exhibition at Denmark Embassy, New Delhi- 2013 /“Small is Big” – Contemporary Miniature art Show of India, at Durbar Hall Gallery, Kochi-2012 /“Global Peace”-a group show of Thai-Indian at Art Gallery, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand-2009/“Urban Discord”- a group show organized by Indian contemporary at gallery Romain Rolland Alliance Francaise de, Delhi, and Hong Kong-2009/ Art for freedom” Aicon gallery, London -2008 /" The Promissory Maze" , a group show in Dubai, at 1x1 art gallery-2008 /- “Art for freedom” a group show cum auction in London, Jointly organized by Tehelka art and Aicon gallery, London-2008/-“A MAZ ING” - a group show at Jehangir art gallery, Mumbai, organized by RPG Enterprises 2008/ - International Art Fair, Rome-2007 / - “V I S (V) A” a chronicle of difference, three person show at AICON art Gallery, New York-2008./ - “Emerging India”–a group show of young contemporary artists at The Henry Moore Gallery, Royal College of Art, London. Presented by, Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi and S.A. Fine Arts, London-2007/ -“Generation Next- New Trends in Contemporary Indian art” a group show at India Habitat Center, New Delhi, Curated by Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi-2007/“Ways of Seeing” – a group show at India Habitat Center, Curated by Sushma K. Bahl-2005 /- “The Sense of Touch” – a two person show at Guild art Gallery, Mumbai, catalogue essay by Nancy Adajania-2005/- “Generation-I”, curated by Zehra Jumabhoy, jointly organized by Saffron art and Guild art Gallery at Saffron Art Gallery, Mumbai-2004/- “A New Mediatic Realism?”- at ABS Bayer’s Gallery, Baroda, Catalogue essay by Nancy Adajania-2004 / - “From Brahma to Bapu – New icons and symbols in Indian art” – a group show, curated by Sovan Som, organized by CIMA Art Gallery at India Habitat Center, New Delhi and later at CIMA Art Gallery, Kolkata-2002/ - “New paradigms”–a group show, curated by Ranjit Hoskote, organized by Gallery Threshold, at India Habitat Center, New Delhi-2002. He has been invited as visiting Faculty to the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Burapha University, Thailand-2014/ -Visiting Faculty to Fine arts faculty, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh-2013/ Visiting faculty to the Department of Fine Arts, University of Hyderabad, Sarojini Naidu School of Fine Arts and Communication; Hyderabad.-2011. Since 2001, I have taught in the Department of Painting, Kala Bhavana(Faculty of Fine Art), Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, India. Sahu lives and work in santiniketan.

Born in 1964, in the Siliguri district of West Bengal, Prasenjit graduated in visual arts specializing in the discipline of painting from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. His works have been showcased in many solo shows in the years 2005 and 2007 at Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, Presented by Gallery Sanskriti, Kolkata, also in 1996 at ABC Art Gallery, Varanasi presented by ABC India Ltd. and in the year 1994 at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai presented by RPG Enterprises as well as at Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata. His works have been demonstrated in many Group Shows, while he also participated in celebrated art camps, and art events in India and abroad. In the recent past, he has participated in an all-India show “Viswaroopa – The Form of Unoverse” curated by Johny ML, presented by Birla Academy at Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata, in 2018. Other major Shows are: In 2005 ‘Bengal & Beyond: The Evolution of Bengal Art’ presented by Art N Soul at India Habitat Centre New Delhi and ‘Roots in Hue’— a group show presented by Gallery Sanskriti at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, In 2004. He took part in a group show by Art Voyage at Nehru Centre, London, titled, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ which showcased works of artists from Mumbai and Kolkata at Birla Academy, Kolkata. He also participated in “Colours of India”— a group show in Jakarta presented by Gallery Sanskriti, Kolkata. In 2003 “Art in Industry”— an Art Camp sponsored by TATA STEEL, Jamshedpur was presented by Aurodhan Art Gallery, Pondicherry in which he took part. His works were included in “The Hues of Bengal’ – A RPG Collection of Contemporary Art from Bengal at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, and some of his works were presented at “Contemporary Bengal Art” by Birla Academy of Art & Culture at Lalit Kala, New Delhi. In 1999 he participated in “Tradition and Modernity in Bengal,” a group show presented by Birla Academy at Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi. In 1998 his works were shown in ‘Indian Contemporary Art’ – The RPG Collection in Germany. In 1997 he took part in ‘Painting on Mother Teressa’ – from the RPG Collection in Kolkata and Mumbai. In 1996 ‘Creative Faces’ – presented his works at the Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata. In 1991 ‘Young Faces in Contemporary Art’ presented by Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata celebrated some of his signature styled works. He has received Awards from the Birla Academy of Art & Culture annual shows in 2000, 1999, and 1994 as well as in the All India Art Exhibition (Jamini Roy Birth Centenary) in 1986 and a Gold medal in the inter-university National Youth Festival at Akola. His works have sincere art collectors and reside in various parts of India and abroad. Prasenjit Lives and works in Kolkata.

R B Bhaskaran was born in Chennai in 1942. He studied advanced paintings at the Government College of Arts & Crafts in Madras from 1960-66. He also took part in training for the Fresco technique at Bhanasthali Vidyapith College, Rajasthan in 1964. He practiced Intaglio Printmaking, Lithography, and Ceramics from abroad in the year of 1968. Bhaskaran's work has a strong sense of color and proper linearity. His works have a tribal characteristic due to his in-depth studies in frescoes. There is a certain directness in his elements. He also took part in the Madras Art Movement of the 1960s where he rebelled against the concept of Nativism propagated by K.C.S. Panniker, the idea that one must consciously evolve an Indian style by introducing Indian motifs and themes into one's work. He won fellowships from the Department of Culture, and Ministry of Education amongst other awards. He has held important offices like Honorary Secretary, Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai in 1987; Principal, College of Art, Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu in 1995; Principal, Government College of Art, Chennai, between 1997 and 2001; and Apex Committee member for the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. He served as International Juror for the Florence Biennale, Italy for a few years.

R. M. Palaniappan is an eminent artist who works in mostly mixed media prints. He plays various roles such as a printmaker, a painter, a curator, a former Regional Secretary of the Lalit Kala Akademi, a closet scientist, a mathematician, and an avid reader. He is interested in aeronautics and systems of notation which signifies the specifics of time, place, and sequence. He has received several awards and honors including the Fulbright Grant.

Rabin Mondal, born Rabindra Nath Mondal in 1929 in Howrah, West Bengal, was a renowned Indian painter and a founding member of the Calcutta Painters. After graduating in commerce from Calcutta University in 1952, he pursued his artistic education at the Indian College of Art and Draughtsmanship, Calcutta, and the Asutosh Museum of Indian Art. In 1964, he co-founded the "Group of Eight," which played a pivotal role in promoting modernist art across India. Mondal's distinctive works, characterized by tragic-looking figures titled "kings" and "queens," painted in oil on canvas, gained national attention through