Bhajju Shyam belongs to the Gond community of Madhya Pradesh. He was a contemporary of the celebrated Gond artist Jangarh Singh Shyam. According to art-historian and author, Jyotindra Jain, Bhajju Shyam is one of the most important and innovative artists to have emerged from the explosion of Gond painting tradition spearheaded by Jangarh.  

The Gond are extremely fond of dancing, which they believe was first learned from peacocks. In this painting by Bhajju, a tree is flanked by musicians and male-female dance partners on either side. The tree is smeared with a red powder (kumkum or sindoor) as if worshipped as a goddess, the color red being associated with sanctity. The concentric, undulating red waves in the foliage emphasize the energy created by the dancers’ rhythms. The border consists of a digna design, a pattern that Gond women commonly create on the walls and floors of their homes.