Dhiraj Choudhury was one of the sublime greats of modern Indian art. He was also a passionate teacher and his students at the College of Art in Delhi were inspired by him to be more socially aware. He was born in what is now Bangladesh in a pre-Partition India in 1936 and this is what led to his social conscience and sensitivity. His works have a voice that is immensely recognisable and which make them modern classics.

This work is an oil on canvas, alive with movement and colour. It shows a fearsome Durga, ten handed, as her legendary nemesis, the buffalo demon (in this version, more than one demon) scoffs at her with wide, evil grins. Durga is depicted in bright vermilions and yellow-gold, while the beasts are in drab grey-green. The artist's unique pictorial voice gives the work a character that is peerless and beyond compare, bringing the ancient into the contemporary, which is what is he most remembered for.