Please note: This artist, show are 10/10

Cactus flowers, beautiful, large and showy, bloom from her breasts; she is reclining on cacti; the thorns don’t seem to bother her though. Meet Lady With Cactus, protagonist of Sisir Kumar Datta’s latest show in Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore. This water-colour painting is part of his series titled ‘Lady With Cactus’ and ‘Lady With Lotus’.

Kolkata-born artist Datta has exhibited in several prestigious galleries in India and abroad, but not many know that his art is in every Indian home, or rather in every wallet. During his stint as an artist with the government currency press in Nasik, he designed the ten rupee note.

“The confidentiality clause prevents me from talking about it. I am so sorry, I can’t give you any details,” he tells us before we could quiz him on it. “Instead, I will tell you about the stamps I painted for the government,” he offers, almost in consolation. His first stamp, one of freedom fighter Khudiram Bose, was done in 1989 and was released by Shankar Dayal Sharma. “I enjoy designing stamps because that way I reach millions of people. They see and use my art, and that makes me very happy,” he says.

Datta’s day-job is as a senior artist with Indian government’s Information and Broadcasting Department. Therefore, he literally “pens” several important government documents. He paints seasonal greeting cards sent out by the president and prime minister of the country; his calligraphy in English and Hindi adorns the annual National Awards certificates; he designs pamphlets and brochures for the international film festivals and so on.