ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi nˈaɪn hiː sˈɛɾəld dˌaʊn ɪn ændɹˈɛɾə nˌɪɹ pˈælɐmpˌʊɹ, ɐ ɹᵻmˈoʊt ænd ðˈɛn lˈɪtəlnˈoʊn plˈeɪs ɪnðə kˈæŋɡɹə vˈæli, bɪɡˈɪnɪŋ hɪz kɚɹˈɪɹ æz ɐ pˈeɪntɚ.
In 1949 he settled down in Andretta (near Palampur), a remote and then little-known place in the Kangra Valley, beginning his career as a painter.