Nilima Sheikh was born in New Delhi in 1945 She studied history at Delhi University in 1962-1965 and studied Fine Arts at MS University in Baroda in 1971 Under the mentorship of KG Subramanian and Gulammohammed Sheikh, she learned the significance of craft and folk art in modern Indian art forms and the knack of the narrative structure The power of the narrative is the central theme of all her works She executes in miniature-style as well as murals and large scaled canvasses She comments on issues of feminity, communal violence, human suffering She portrays such sombre issues with the use of a feminine delicate line and delicate subtle colours She has exhibited widely in Mumbai, New Delhi, Ahmadabad through the 80’s and 90’s She also exhibited in West Germany in 1982 as well as the First Johannesburg Biennale, South Africa in 1995 and the Triennale of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, 1966 She also has varied interests such as handicrafts and handlooms as well as theatre design