As Venkat Raman Singh Shyam seats himself at Cafe Samovar at Kala Ghoda, it is hard to miss the rustic tattoo of a sun on the back of his palm. Though he isn’t a Mumbaiite, he personally knows the artists who line the pavement around Jehangir Art Gallery. He hails from the tribe of Pardhans in Mandla, Madhya Pradesh. Preparations are on for his works to be exhibited at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa in 2013.

The collection comprises autobiographical works and selections from his series on the Mumbai terror attacks. He has worked as a cook, a manual labourer and a billboard painter and yet, he admits, “My struggle for art awareness began after my first exhibition in Bhopal.” Since then, this award-winning artist has been part of over 30 national and international exhibitions.

All Bengal scrolls are the result of a joint effort of an entire family. Seen here is Laltu Chitrakar (centre) with his family at an exhibition organised by Paramparik Karigar. Pic/ Benita Fernando