Anuradha Thakur

Anuradha Thakur is a contemporary Indian painter whose work celebrates the rhythms, rituals and joy of tribal life. Born in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, she trained in Fine Arts in Pune. She then spent more than two decades in community work, teaching art to women and children in underserved neighbourhoods, often with mud, tree gum and other everyday materials.

She returned to her own canvas in 2016, and her signature style quickly stood out: dark, graceful figures set against bursts of vivid colour and ornate pattern. Her scenes of festivals, ceremonies and daily life are rooted in India's tribal heritage, especially the stories of the Gond community. Thakur calls her black "a soft black", meant to show strength and dignity rather than harshness.

Her painting Ethnic Serendipity hangs in the Prime Minister's Office. She was also named one of India's Top 100 Women Achievers in Art and Culture by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, and she has spoken at TEDx.