on their hair and lips, muscular Tarzan-like gods and Disney-like detailing of flowers and animals is equally important. In a certain sense, Pandit inherited the "naturalistic" or the " realistic" stye of painting from Raja Ravi Varma. However Pandit along with Mulgaonkar, took a further step by subjecting the new forms of religious and mythic imagery inaugurated by Raja Ravi Varma, to the technical innovations of his times in tune with the demands of the market, particularly in relation to film and calendar art. Further, the "realism" or "naturalism" of his paintings and posters particularly with reference to mythological and religious subjects should be seen in the context of his realistic departure from the canonical iconography traditionally prescribed for such subjects which was by and large followed in the classical and traditional styles of Indian painting. It is also in the same context, that we can explain a certain amount of stasis and continuity in the imagery of Gods and Goddesses, begun by Raja Ravi Varma and subsequently insisted upon by the rapidly expanding markets in the calendar and poster art of C. Kondiah Raju, the Nathdwara artists and further down with Pandit and other contemporary artists of the genre. Many of the Hindu religious images of the calendar art era have been subsequently adopted and innovated, wholly or in part by the present day Hindutva propaganda. Among his other masterpieces is the life size portrait of Swami Vivekananda at Kanyakumari. Pandit has also painted several other portraits of prominent persons and leaders, including the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi now at the New Council Hall, Mumbai. Rewards and recognition Needless to say, recognition and rewards came in ample measure to Pandit. In his own time, he was recognised as the foremost artist in the Genre by many of his contemporaries and continues to influence artists even to the present day. He was awarded a medal at the International exhibition in Toronto in 1944 for one of his cover designs. The exhibition of his mythological and portrait paintings in 1978 at the Ravi Shankar Hall and the Indian High Commission in London and Manchester won him popular appreciation and critical acclaim. He was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London (F.R.S.A.)in 1978. During the Festival of India held in London, he painted portraits of Mrs. Indira Gandhi and Mrs. Margaret Thatcher, which are on permanent display in