A Portraitist, watercolourist and an award winning Film Art Director Murlidhar Ramachandra Acharekar (1907-1979) completed his Diploma in painting from the Govt. College of Maharashtra, Bombay. While still pursuing his education he became involved in the discipline of Printmaking and Portraiture and soon opened up a lithographic press in Bombay. Post his education he was appointed as Junior Teacher at the Ketkar Institute of Art, Bombay in the year 1923. From 1932-34 he spent two years studying European Art and its techniques at the Royal College of Art, London. While studying in London, Acharekar was chosen to execute some very important commissions as painting the historical event of the inauguration of the Round Table Conference by his late Majesty King George V of the United Kingdom, in 1932 and the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of King George V in 1935, to name a few.

Acharekar also emerged as an educator when his famed book called 'Rupadarshini, An Indian Approach to Human Form' was published in 1949; his other books mainly include pencil drawings/ images from Hindu Cave Temples of Ellora and Elephanta. His book 'Apostle of Peace' is a series of the artist's splendid pencil sketches of Jawaharlal Nehru and validates his brilliance as a portraitist. Acharekar was also an excellent watercolourist. The exhibition of his works in watercolour and tempera in 1973 depicted the first hundred years of the freedom movement (1757-1856) and was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi.

Acharekar is also known for his long standing association and contribution to the Indian Cinema, his excellence in Art Direction won him many prestigious awards. Acharekar served as president of Cine Art Directors Association of India, Bombay and was President, Bombay Art Society, Bombay, from the years 1972-73. The artist was also awarded with the Padmashree in 1968 by the Govt. of India.

The painting is one of the 52 works M.R. Acharekar was commissioned for on the commemorative occasion celebrating the completion of the first hundred years of the freedom movement (1757- 1856). Partha Mitter in his book 'The Triumph of Modernism: India's Artists and the Avant-garde, 1922-47' writes, "Acharekar specialized in a loose impressionist style with heavy impasto colours, quick brush strokes and loose application of paint, to build up a sketch-like rough surface with speckled light distributed over the whole painted surface." Acharekar in this impressionistic style that Partha Mitter speaks of created the 52 set of paintings that are infused with the rebellion and the hostilities of wars organised by the untrained tribal folks and the civilians against the private army of East India Company.

The resentment against foreign rule and the atrocities at the hand of the Company had stirred a political turmoil which resulted in uprising in different parts of the country. The patriotic emotions and the struggle of the natives is well encapsulated in the paintings specially executed by the artist.

The painting refers to the rebellion organized by the Gadkaris, an agricultural Maratha militia and a native tribe from Kohlapur in 1844 depicting their uprising against the British. Gadkaris, the hereditary servants of the Marathas disgruntled and unconvinced by their fallacious dismissal from service by the British rose in revolt in Kohlapur.

The overpowering British forces finally defeated the Gadkaris. The above painting shows the British forces up and close against the tribes, fighting with guns as opposed to the spears of the Gadkaris.