Kalamandir (Begumpet)

If the stereotype were to be believed, most artists are recluses. And the rest make you wish that stereotype was true. Ambadas Mahurkar, however, walks the middle ground. Like many fine painters, he inspires both art and artist.

Kala Mandir, Mahurkar's gallery and studio, is an art school that's frequently overrun with his young, keen students. This is a place for them to gather for workshops and gyaan sessions with their teacher, an artist for forty years and a teacher for almost as long.

A former art teacher at Little Flower High School, Mahorkar believes in keeping his subjects - and their subjects - as close to natural light and surroundings as possible. His own work, widely exhibited around the country, consists mainly of watercolor landscapes. They're ever so slightly reminescent of the more abstract UNICEF greeting cards, and portray a warm love for life and nature.

A major portion of the funds generated by Kala Mandir's exhibitions and activities are channelled to deserving causes. Here's a man who clearly puts the heart around art.