When Neela chose the Mysore style of painting as her vocation she knew she did not belong to the Chitrakar community. The painters who belonged to this community had practised this style of painting for many centuries with royal patronage. They chose themes from mythologies and puranas but there have also been portraits and other non-religious subjects chosen for this style of painting. Traditionally this art of painting was handed down from father to son and women of the family were not considered inheritors of this art. With lack of patronage this community had to seek other ways of survival. Neela chose traditional painting knowing what obstacles lay before her. But she has managed to make a place for herself and hopes that women from the Chitrakar community itself will one day reclaim an art that was denied to them. Like the bright green parrots with shining red beaks that come out of nowhere and make a place for themselves in Neela's paintings creating little visual surprises, there is always space and hope for changes in the traditional art of painting.