Born in 1982 in Patangarh, the cradle of Gond painting, Rajendra Kumar Shyam grew up surrounded by murals of deities, forests, and mythical creatures. Inspired by senior artists like Jangarh Singh Shyam, who was also his uncle, he embraced the practice of turning oral folklore into vivid visual form. For Rajendra, every painting is a storybook—a forest that whispers, an animal that speaks, or a deity that blesses. Listening to and living these stories of the Gond community, has made it easy for him to translate these tales into art! Over 20 years, Rajendra has refined a style that uses dense, decorative patterns—dots, lines, and hatching—to create movement and energy. His subjects often merge myth and memory: a deer symbolizing nature’s grace, or a tree echoing life’s continuity. His work has been showcased through TRIFED, Lalit Kala Akademi, and cultural exhibitions, allowing his tribal heritage to travel far beyond Patangarh