Narmada Prasad Tekam is a Gond artist from Madhya Pradesh, and like many of his fellow tribal artists, he is entirely self taught. He began painting at the age of ten, creating designs on the earth while tending to cows in the fields, and also on the walls of his home. His art reflects an innate understanding of the rhythm of nature and life. His themes were varied: he portrayed human and animal figures, and drew inspiration from mythology and religion as well. He used pigments extracted from leaves and flowers for colour. His motifs have changed over the years; tigers, deer, birds and porcupines now largely feature in his work. Tekam first came to Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal from his village Patangarh in 1983, where a student of Jagdish Swaminathan discovered his talent. Since then, his paintings have been featured in many exhibitions, one of which was a group show in Los Angeles in 2010. In addition, the artist has also contributed a number of illustrations of goddesses for the bilingual book, Gond Devlok by Dr. Dharmendra Pare, published by the Adivasi Lok Kala and Tulsi Sahitya Academy. In 2006, he was awarded the Shikhar Sanman by the Government of Madhya Pradesh. Tekam has travelled extensively, showcasing his paintings and currently works as an artist in the Adivasi Lok Kala Parishad.