Hand-painted by master artist Kalyan Joshi in contemporary Phad style, this magnificent artwork depicts the ‘Tree of Life’, which has been a prominent visual motif in various religions across South Asia. In India, the ‘Tree of Life’ comes from several sources such as the Bodhi tree under which Buddha received enlightenment, the Peepal and Banyan trees associated with Hindu mythology, and the tree of immortality alluded to in Islam. The motif itself represents the source of life, or the cycle of life and death as well as the force that connects all lives. Here the artist has painted the tree with emanating branches in a white color against a deep red background with fine details of leaves painted with minute brush strokes. Towards the root, he has depicted an elephant taking shelter under it which is an allegory of natural beings coming together to help each other out. The style becomes a fusion of older Phad techniques along with contemporary style through its intricate design and use of a plain background in contrast to the lighter tones of the tree. He has used natural pigments on cotton cloth to portray a Phad painting.