MANU PAREKH - 1939: A modernist of the third generation, Manu Parekh was born in Ahmedabad in 1939. He was drawn into the art world by Mukund Shroff. Having obtained a Diploma in Drawing and Painting from Sir J. J. School of Art , Mumbai in 1962, Manu worked as a stage actor in Mumbai and designed stage-sets in Ahmedabad. In 1963, he joined the Weavers' Service Centre, Mumbai as Art Designer. After two years he moved to Calcutta and lived and worked there till 1974, when he was appointed a Design Consultant by the Hancheraft and Handloom Export Corporation of India , New Delhi. In 1972, he won the President of India's Silver Plaque and a cash award for best painting of the year from the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society , New Delhi. He bagged the National Award from the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi in 1982 and Padma Shri in 1991. "I work like an actor: I remain the same actor, but perform and create situations within a different role," says Manu Parekh . This sums up Manu Parekh's attitude towards his works, and to a certain extent, explains the variety of subjects, like the Benaras series, the heads, and the still life objects that he depicts. Polemics has always intrigued Manu Parekh - the energy of the organic form, the inherent sexuality within the forms, are intangible elements in his works. His paintings provoke viewers to take notice of the world around them, through the emotion, pain and anguish expressed in the subjects of his paintings. His works in diverse colours and forms, exude a volatile energy that can barely be contained within the frame-work, and become an extension of the artist's personality.