We know what a great artist Pune-based Maruti Patil is but not too many of us know about the physical and mental struggles he endured to reach where he is today. In his published book ‘Companion of Colourful Strokes’, Maruti Patil recounts the inspiring artistic journey that started in the small town of Belgavi under the tutelage of K B Kulkarni and took him to Pune’s Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalay, Mumbai’s J J School of Art before bringing him back to Pune to work. He has held exhibitions at various art galleries in Pune and Mumbai (the last one was in 2018) and has many prestigious awards to his credit including the Maharashtra State Art Award (3 times), The Art Society of India and the Bombay Art Society, left a thriving career in commercial art and embraced fine art, exhibiting a characteristic of his personality – he loves to constantly experiment and accept fresh ideas. The book is a tribute to Patil’s wife Neela and is a combined effort of his two daughters – Tejas and Barkha. Important incidents from Patil’s personal life run parallel to his artistic endeavours in the book.