Born in 1922, Babaria (MP). Syed HaiderRaza studied painting in the Nagpur School of Art and the J. J. School of Art, Bombay. He was awarded the Prix de la Critique in Paris, in 1956. He has had numerous individual exhibitions of his paintings and has participated in group shows and salons, including the International Biennales at Venice, Sao Paolo and Menton, and in the Triennale at New Delhi. He has visited India every year to establish a tangible relationship with Indian concepts, contemporary art and life. S.H.Raza was awarded the Padma Shri by the President of India in 1981, and was elected a Fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, in 1983.