The bold, bright and beautiful canvases of artist Thota Vaikuntam can transfer a city dweller into the earthy air of countryside. The saree clad dusky women donning the coin sized signature bright bindisin his paintings portray the strong and fearless lasses of his land Telangana. Born in Burugupalli of Karimnagar district, he was inspired by theatrical performances enacted by ordinary men in vibrant outfits, and wished to be an artist someday. He went to Hyderabad’s College of Fine Arts and Architecture, and opened a whole new colourful world for himself through discussions and learning. He later went to M S University, Baroda where he started re-defining his style by sticking to his rustic roots.His early years of art-making mostly had him use charcoal, but with time he experimented with pencil drawing, partial coloration, transparent washes and later started using acrylic and oil on canvas. He has exhibited his work across the length and breadth of the world and has many awards to his share including aNational award, Hyderabad Arts Society award and a Bharat Bhavan Biennale Award for his work as an artist. He has also worked as an art director for several Telugu movies including Daasi that earned him a National award as a best art director.Although, his paintings have evolved over the years in size and medium, the mood of his artwork has never changed despite all the modernisation of the society including his own village.