Born into a farming family in a small village in Tamil Nadu, Gurunathan originally inspired by both his brothers occupation as a signboard artist and his appreciation of a neighbourhood artist to pursue Art. He joined the Chennai Government College of Art & Crafts, determined to make art an integral part of his life. Gurunathan has used a mix of holy Hindu ash, pigment colours and acrylic paint on rice paper. As such the works have a grainy texture to the surface and the paper itself therefore looks fragile under this influence. There is a clear need to recreate the dichotomies of nature, its subtle impulses both hard-wearing and transient, through his technique, medium and content.