03 September,2026 04:38 PM IST | Mumbai | Shriram Iyengar
Kamlakar Gavankar’s Untitled works from the exhibition
It is Kamlakar Gavankar's childlike glee that welcomes us into the Strangers' House Gallery. "I never thought my scribblings would be part of an exhibition," he admits. While he has been a gallery manager for the last two years, this time, he welcomes us as the artist of Talking to the audience that is on show at the space.
Gavankar at work in the gallery. Pics Courtesy/Strangers House Gallery
Even as we drop in, the gallery manager from Panvel is busy working on another canvas. "I was born near Worli," the 61-year-old recalls. Poverty at home meant he never had a formal education beyond the fifth grade. "We did not have the means, and my brother and I took up odd jobs alongside my parents to sustain our living," he says. In the late 1970s, he took up a job at Samudra Mahal in Worli as a helping hand. From housekeeping to cleaning cars, he progressed to being a security guard and lift attendant.
This is where his artistic roots lie. Gavankar began to carry a pencil and a notebook to work every day, spending his free time sketching anything and everything he came across. "I'd occasionally sketch people, or cats, or a Bharatanatyam pose on a flyer. I worked three shifts, and sometimes, I would sketch just to stay awake. We didn't have mobile phones then," he points out.
Gallerist Sumesh Sharma, a regular visitor to the building, recalls, "I would tell him to keep at it. What surprised me was that he kept at it despite the difficulties." In 2024, when Gavankar retired after a spell of 44 years, Sharma asked him to join the gallery as a manager. The practice continued, this time in a space that encouraged it.
Gavankar's canvas of Charlie Chaplin created by observation
Artist Bhushan Bhombale taught him how to mix acrylic colours and wash canvas. "Prakash Bhise sir too, noticed one of my works, and offered me some tips. All of them kept telling me to keep working. I never thought it would be part of an exhibition," he admits.
Gavankar might have no formal education in art, but he is an artist. These are works of pure expression, almost childlike in their exuberance, and capture an instinctive approach to the synthesis of colours and shapes.
"The colours simply come into my mind. I cannot explain it. I sit down to work, and it slowly takes shape," he shares, revealing with no less pride that he has already sold a couple of paintings, including one that is now housed at a patron's home in Singapore.
"I began sketching as a way to pass time, but now, it feels like a part of my life. It helps that people like it," Gavankar sums up.
Till September 8; 11 am to 7 pm
At Strangers House Gallery, Clark House, Wodehouse Road, Colaba.
