Shambhu Acharya, the last successor of an age-old family tradition, painted “Gazir Pat” in line with the tradition, narrating the bravery of Shah Ismail Gazi, popularly known by his one-syllable name – Gazi. A saint from Mecca, he served Sultan Rukunuddin Barbak Shah in the 15th century first in the scope of an advisor who successfully mitigated an environmental crisis due to annual flooding. Then he was favoured by the Sultan and was asked to conduct warfare in different frontiers in Bengal, though later he also invited the animosity of the Sultan. However, due to his courage he became popular among the Muslims and the Bedey community who gave him the epithet of pir, a Muslim holy man. Sambhu Acharya portrayed the life of the legendary general turned pir as a tribute to this figure who is perceived as liberator. This is one of many paintings he has worked on over the years on the subject. A Gazi pat is usually 4.8ft long and 1.10ft wide and made of thick cotton fabric and uses red and blue as dominant colours. This work uses similar handmade fabric and natural colours and shows Pir Gazi sitting on a tiger, smoking from a hookah while defeating the opposition and celebrating life. This scroll painting is Shambhu’s attempt to capture a legend that has stayed in the collective memory of the people of the Bengal delta where history is often preserved in myriad forms of folklore.