Tree of Life – 4835

Niranjan Jonnalagadda

Niranjan Jonnalagadda was born in 1967, into a family of Kalamkari artists. His great grandfather Guruppa’s Tree of Life, an indigo-shaded Kalamkari masterpiece, hangs in London’s Victoria and Albert museum, as does his grandfather Lakshmaiah’s Story of Ramayana, an exquisitely nuanced pictorial version of the epic ‘told’ in the language of Kalamkari. His father Guruppa Chetty is a prolific master artist, the brilliance of whose art has won him the Padmashri award. Gurappa taught his son the Kalamkari craft who successfully continues the artistic skills and family traditions, reviving the art and keeping the tradition alive.

Niranjan has many state, national and international awards to his credit including a Doctorate from Delhi University. His creative oeuvre spans stunning wall hangings, which bring alive stories from the Epics and Puranas, ‘Tree of Life’ imagery as well as the exotic world of paradisical birds, animals and butterflies.