For C D Mistry, a Modern Indian Art master who defied genres, created his own idiom and nurtured generations of contemporary artists, the foray into art began at a subliminal level even before he fully understood it. As a child, as he learnt to draw, he learnt to really see. And what he saw were vibrant colours, unique hand crafts and indigenous art. Born in 1933 in Chikhli, a village in southern Gujarat, Chhaganbhai Dayaram Mistry observed beauty in almost everything—textiles, temple carvings, paintings and metalworks, even the small details of his home. He found himself surrounded by inspiration at every step, and this environment informed his art, which to this day resonates with people. His colourful palette, while influenced by his native state, only added to his natural love for painting. Inspired by his father, a skilled carpenter, he found himself drawn to making things with his hands. As he observed his father and the other carpenters wielding their craft, he began to understand the method of woodwork, later collecting leftover pieces of wood from the workshop and making small toys out of them.

The Mistrys’ village visits often extended beyond the nearby areas, and from one such trip, they brought back a special sticky clay called kaadav. With this, young Mistry began shaping bullock carts and bulls or bull-balad as they were known. It became evident that he had a gift, which was enhanced by imagination, patience and hands-on skill. After completing his high school in 1959, he moved to Ahmedabad to pursue formal training in art and joined the C. N. College of Fine Arts, from where he gained his Diploma in Painting in 1960. During this time, he studied under well-known artists such as Rasiklal Parikh. Mistry then went on to complete the Art Master course the following year and, in 1960, he continued his journey at C. N. College of Fine Arts, joining as a teacher in the Fine Arts department.