Mahadev Visvanath Dhurandhar (a.k.a Rao Bahadur) was born in 1867 in Kohlapur, Maharshtra.  

His father was always supportive of his talent and therefore put him under the guidance of the renowned painter, Abalal Rehman. Dhurandhar then went on to study at Sir JJ School of Art in Mumbai.  
 
While still studying at Sir JJ, he received a British Government award in 1892 for one of his paintings entitled ‘Women at Work’. 
 
After graduating from Sir JJ in 1895, he was invited back a year later to become a teacher – he later became a principal, then a director (becoming the first Indian to achieve directorship status at the institute). 
 
At a time when few people knew what solo shows were, Dhurandhar was a pioneer in the concept, holding solo (and group) exhibitions, to which his work became well-known amongst the masses. 
 
Not only did he receive over 5 gold medals for his work, but he was also honoured with a Rao Bahadur title by the British government. 
 
M.V. Dhurandhar passed away in 1944, but he left behind a lifetime of inspiring work, a stimulating trail of creations spanning an amazing 50,000 illustrations and 5,000 paintings.