Gajanan Sawlaram Haldankar was born in 1912 in Sawantwadi, Maharashtra.

He learnt art under the guidance of his father, Sawlaram Lakshman Haldankar.

He participated in several exhibitions and won many awards:
In 1929 he took part in the annual exhibition and won the President’s Prize at the Bombay Art Society, Bombay. In 1929 he took part in the group exhibition at Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta. In 1931 he participated and won a silver medal at Mysore Dassara exhibition in Mysore. In 1933 he took part in the annual exhibition and won an award at Bombay Art Society’s Exhibition in Poona. In 1936-1937 he won a silver medal from Indian Industries in Bombay. In 1938 he participated in the group exhibition and won the Academy’s gold medal for the best exhibit at the Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta. In 1939-1940 he participated in the group exhibition and won the President’s gold medal at the Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta. In 1989 he took part and was given the gold and silver medals at the AIFACS Exhibition in New Delhi. In 1998-99 he was posthumously exhibited in a group exhibition, The Great Indian Master Painters, a joint retrospective exhibition of his father and him at the Nehru Centre, Mumbai.

He taught drawing and painting at the Haldankar’s Fine Art Institute for over sixty years. He was a Visiting Lecturer at the Govt. College of Art and Craft and various other art institutions and art societies and was nominated as member of the Judging Committees for various exhibitions. He was appointed as an examiner for the Govt. Diploma art exams and was also associated with the Art Society of India as the Secretary and Chairman.

In 1981 he passed away in Sawantwadi.