Once he used to chop trees, now he paints wildlife

Nagaraj has been involved in wildlife conservation activities in Chitradurga district

In his childhood, Nagaraj D. would often go into Jogimatti forest area in Chitradurga every day to collect firewood. A couple of times, forest officials caught him and punished him for trespass, locking him up in their guest house for an hour. Now, Nagaraj of Nagu Arts is invited by the Forest Department all over Karnataka to draw paintings depicting wildlife. The 52-year-old artist has done at least 500 paintings on structures belonging to the Forest Department to spread awareness about wildlife. “I used to collect firewood from the forest in my childhood and earned a few rupees a day. After returning home, I used to paint what I saw in the forest. With the encouragement of my friends, I pursued my passion for paintings,” said Nagaraj.