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Anand Shyam

"Hello, my name is Anand Shyam and I was born and brought up in the Tindori district of Madhaya Pradesh. I only studied up to 12th grade due to my family's financial situation. Nonetheless, I had a great childhood. My parents always gave us all of their love. My father was a great Gondi artist and he used to execute the paintings on wood items.

"Gondi is an art form developed by the Gondi people of Madhya Pradesh. It was originally executed on house walls. It is a free-hand painting expressing the lifestyle of the villagers. Almost every household does this work so it is quite common to see it in our village.

"Some twenty years ago, my father moved to Bhopal to work for an art and cultural complex, and we eventually joined him to settle there. I began to learn this art under my father's tutelage.

"My wife is also an artist and we work together. Our two children are already experts in this art. They learn during their free time. We have exhibited our work together as a family in different parts of the country including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai.

"I have been honored with some renowned awards like the Indira Gandhi Academy Award in 1996, the State Award in 2000 and 2004, and the National Scholarship Award in 2000. In 2005, the President of India, Abdul Kalam Azam, bought one of my paintings.

"I am very glad to be associated with Novica. I hope Gondi art will be appreciated by people all over the world."