Ajay De, born in 1967, graduated from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Kolkata, and did his post-graduation from Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai. His solo exhibitions have been held at various prominent art galleries in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Tokyo. He has also participated in group shows in New York, Dubai, Mumbai, Pune and New Delhi, apart from several other exhibitions organized by reputed institutions across India. While growing up in Kolkata, Ajay De spent his days drawing, fueled by the wonderment of Nature around him. After graduating from the Government College of Arts and Crafts & completing his post-graduate at the J.J. School of Arts in Mumbai, he found himself drawn towards the black and white tones of charcoal, esp. towards Japanese calligraphy. The image of the hard-working rickshaw puller stood out. In 1998, he had the opportunity to show his work in Tokyo, which was received well. Upon his return, he began exploring the boundaries of this medium & experimented with acrylic, adding a dash of colour to his charcoal works. Shades of red made their appearance in the Ganesha series, and blue in the Mother Teresa series. With the passing years Ajay De has been able to find his home in this medium, reaching ever greater levels of intimacy and expression.