Shailesh Kamble (right) came to Mumbai from Vidarbha over 22 years ago to give a test for the job as a cartoonist at a production house. However, things did not work out well and soon there were payment issues. After roaming around in the Kala Ghoda area, he spotted two-three artists sitting at the street. After seeing how their day goes by, he joined them and started earning a reasonable income.

It was no different for Rakesh Sinha (in pink shirt), who came to Mumbai from Bihar. After working as an artist for some time, he joined the artists on the footpath between Rampart Road and CSMVS only a year before Kamble. Today, they are two of approximately 17 artists sitting on steel chairs on that footpath to earn their living as street artists. Today, he is happy that people appreciate his art and says that is all an artist wants.

Unlike the bigger and well-known artists, these artists price their artwork at reasonable prices, which is also why many people are able to get access to them. While they start as low as Rs 100, they go all the way up to Rs 1,500 depending on the kind of artworks the customer needs. They not only draw scenery but also portraits of famous people, as well as live portraits, commissioned by excited tourists who come to the area.

Just like Kamble and Sinha, even Imran Razzak Teli has been sitting and drawing on the footpath for over 23 years. Teli has come a long way since his father brought him from Gujarat to Mumbai about 35 years ago. Over the years, Teli is happy with his income because he says it has helped him run his house, family and children's education.

While Kamble and Sinha explore scenery, celebrity portraits and live portraits, Teli loves to draw with charcoal as he feels it brings out the finer details of things in the sketch compared to colour portraits.

Over the years, these artists have seen many kinds of changes. While Kamble says he has seen more people opt for live portraits, Sinha still sees a demand for scenery, which is usually bought by hoteliers and interior designers. On the other hand, Teli says more people come to buy paintings from them now than before because of the online trend, as people renovate their homes often, and want to change how it looks with these paintings.

In all the time he has been there, Teli has observed that while some people from different parts of Mumbai like to collect art, foreigners and tourists have a deep appreciation for the work of these street artists and very often pay them extra.