Writing on the Wall

Well-known Gond artist Bhajju Shyam on how he began painting and why it’s important for him to be connected to his roots.

Bhajju Shyam’s works in progress for the JLF: fruit-laden tree.

In the mud house that he shared with his parents and three other siblings in Madhya Pradesh’s Patangarh village, Bhajju Shyam remembers the long, painstaking hours his mother spent decorating the walls with traditional Gond motifs. In places where she could not reach, she would prevail upon the teenaged Shyam to fill up for her. It wasn’t something unique to their household. In the adivasi belt of central India, it was common to find mud huts adorned with colourful patterns and motifs. Shyam soon began to take an active interest in it. Money was scarce, and attending school was never a certainty, even though his father would dutifully enroll them each year. “One of us would have the books, the other the uniform, and the third, the shoes. Things were difficult and none of us would manage to finish a full term,” says Shyam, as he works on two canvases — of a Gond raja and a fruit-laden tree — that he is preparing to display at Zee Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), which takes place from January 21-25.

Shyam has won the first prize at the inaugural Ojas Art Award, which, this year, celebrates excellence in Gond art. The award gives him a chance to showcase his work at the JLF, besides a cash prize, but this is only a recent feather in his already illustrious cap. One of the stalwarts of contemporary tribal art, his work has appeared in publications by Tara Books, including the immensely popular The London Jungle Book, and has been exhibited across the world.

However, the going wasn’t smooth in the beginning. Shyam had to relocate to Bhopal in search of a livelihood, at 16, after Class X. He boarded with a few other men from his village and over the next six months tried his hand at being an electrician and a watchman and found himself floundering in an unknown environment, until his uncle, Jangarh Singh Shyam, took him under his wings. Soon, the young artist’s repertoire became rich in motifs born of nature, from local folk tales to Gond mythologies.

In 1998, his work was part of a group exhibition at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, and in 2001 he received a state award for best indigenous artist. In 2002, art curator Rajeev Sethi, a mentor to his uncle, invited him to London to create murals on the wall of an Indian restaurant. He has never looked back since. Over the years, Shyam, 43, says his artwork has become more refined, “more prettified”, even though he tries his best to hold on to his roots. He now lives in Bhopal with his wife and two children, a far cry from his childhood in remote Patangarh. Unlike his son, 17, his daughter, 11, is a dedicated apprentice. “I take them often to my village. I want them to know where I came from, what our parampara is. I don’t like to think of myself as an artist. I’d rather be known as a man who draws and paints and remains rooted to his community through that,” he says.

Paromita Chakrabarti

Paromita Chakrabarti is Senior Associate Editor at the The Indian Express. She is a key member of the National Editorial and Opinion desk and writes on books and literature, gender discourse, workplace policies and contemporary socio-cultural trends. Professional Profile With a career spanning over 20 years, her work is characterized by a "deep culture" approach—examining how literature, gender, and social policy intersect with contemporary life. Specialization: Books and publishing, gender discourse (specifically workplace dynamics), and modern socio-cultural trends. Editorial Role: She curates the literary coverage for the paper, overseeing reviews, author profiles, and long-form features on global literary awards. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent writing highlights a blend of literary expertise and sharp social commentary: 1. Literary Coverage & Nobel/Booker Awards "2025 Nobel Prize in Literature | Hungarian master of apocalypse" (Oct 10, 2025): An in-depth analysis of László Krasznahorkai’s win, exploring his themes of despair and grace. "Everything you need to know about the Booker Prize 2025" (Nov 10, 2025): A comprehensive guide to the history and top contenders of the year. "Katie Kitamura's Audition turns life into a stage" (Nov 8, 2025): A review of the novel’s exploration of self-recognition and performance. 2. Gender & Workplace Policy "Karnataka’s menstrual leave policy: The problem isn’t periods. It’s that workplaces are built for men" (Oct 13, 2025): A viral opinion piece arguing that modern workplace patterns are calibrated to male biology, making women's rights feel like "concessions." "Best of Both Sides: For women’s cricket, it’s 1978, not 1983" (Nov 7, 2025): A piece on how the yardstick of men's cricket cannot accurately measure the revolution in the women's game. 3. Social Trends & Childhood Crisis "The kids are not alright: An unprecedented crisis is brewing in schools and homes" (Nov 23, 2025): Writing as the Opinions Editor, she analyzed how rising competition and digital overload are overwhelming children. 4. Author Interviews & Profiles "Fame is another kind of loneliness: Kiran Desai on her Booker-shortlisted novel" (Sept 23, 2025): An interview regarding The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. "Once you’ve had a rocky and unsafe childhood, you can’t trust safety: Arundhati Roy" (Aug 30, 2025): A profile on Roy’s recent reflections on personal and political violence. Signature Beats Gender Lens: She frequently critiques the "borrowed terms" on which women navigate pregnancy, menstruation, and caregiving in the corporate world. Book Reviews: Her reviews often draw parallels between literature and other media, such as comparing Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune to the series Only Murders in the Building (Oct 25, 2025). ... Read More

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