An Indian national settled in Johannesburg, South Africa has bought five paintings of artist Arjun Das, including a canvas of a rain-soaked Calcutta.

“The buyer contacted me recently and purchased the paintings. The five paintings have been sold for Rs 3 lakh,” said Das, a resident of Khutadih in Sonari.

Das, who painted the anguish of a pregnant elephant killed at Silent Valley National Park in Kerala’s Palakkad district in May, said that he has already despatched the painting to the recipient by courier.

The Kedarnath shrine Art by: Arjun Das

The paintings include that of the Kedarnath shrine (sold for Rs 75,000), a portrait of Shiva (sold for Rs 80,000), Gautam Buddha (sold for Rs 60,000), a sadhu worshipping in Varanasi (sold for Rs 25,000) and the showers in Calcutta (sold for Rs 60,000).

“The buyer who works at a government agency in Johannesburg, is presently stuck at his ancestral home in Pune in view of Covid-19 pandemic,” Das said while speaking to The Telegraph Online.

“He contacted me over phone to tell that he likes my paintings and wanted to buy. He has already sent the money to my bank account,”

He said that two of his paintings depicting the devotion of Krishna were purchased by an art gallery in Delhi.

Both the 3x3.6ft paintings were sold at Rs 65,000 each.

“I am glad that my paintings are being appreciated by art lovers, who are buying my paintings. This has encouraged me to put in more hard work,” Das, who used oil and acrylic as a medium for his creations, added.

The artist said it took 4-5 hours in completing each of the paintings. “I put my paintings in social media and the buyers started contacting me,” he said.

Das has showcased his paintings at Elitaire, an art exhibition at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, in 2018. His works on Gautam Buddha, Radha Krishna and the ghats of Varanasi were displayed at the Kala Spandan fair at Nehru Centre in Worli, Mumbai, in 2017.

His creations were also put up at exhibitions in Ranchi, Bangalore, Nagpur, Delhi and Chennai.

Das started pursuing painting professionally after visiting the Art in Industry camp organised by Tata Steel in 2011. He also attended a workshop in Raipur.

Of late, Das also worked on coronavirus-related paintings, showcasing the importance of staying indoors and work done by agencies in feeding the poor.