Ganaraj Choudhary, a resident of Nalasopara, left his house in Nanded to pursue his passion for painting because his family was against it. He had just completed schooling. Days after he arrived in Mumbai, he took to painting film posters and banners. That was 23 years ago.
"I did the job for 12 years. But then I went on a wrong path. Main road pe aa gaya (I became poor). There was a time when I earned some money by helping to burn bodies at the crematorium," says Choudhary, now 40.
It was about this time that he felt a call to get back to his passion and work on portraits. "I painted signboards occasionally and made portraits my full-time work. I've been doing this for eight years now," he says.
Choudhary is one of 15 or so artists who work outside Jehangir Art Gallery in south Mumbai. Their art adorns the rust-iron fencing that runs around the gallery. Most of them are picked up by foreigners on a walkabout.
These talented art creators paint, sketch and draw live portraits. The works are sold for as little as Rs200, some times may be up to Rs2,000. During the monsoon they get a little less money and have to endure more hassles.
"I sold a sketch after 15 days. They have become like vegetables. What I would have normally sold for Rs2,000 I gave away for Rs1,000 recently," rues Rajesh Karpe, another artist. "Sometimes, I've sold in a single day all the works that I've created in a month. Sometimes, I can't sell even one in a month." So be doubles up as an events manager to make ends meet.
Without an umbrella organisation there is no support system. "Most of us have different timings and interests," says the 29-year-old.
Different interests means a varied output and different prices for the works. Some may sell a live painting for Rs200, but others like Sanjay Dorlikar could charge according to their whims.
An Aghori Baba smoking a joint, in hues of orange and red, is priced at Rs2,000. Some other could cost over Rs4,000. And yet another may be too good to even put on sale.
Another problem in the way of sharing revenue is the nature of clientèle. As most buyers are visiting tourists, the money got is directly related to the bargaining power of the artist.
An opportunity to exhibit their works at the art gallery could have got them a better bargain. They shrug off the suggestion – "that's for high society artists".
"The charge is Rs2 lakh a week and one has to wait for two years to get a slot," says Karpe.
For now, they have to be content with exhibiting their works at the doors of the gallery that they can only dream of getting into.
