M: Let's start from the middle. The late eighties and the early nineties. That is the time when according to you there was a dramatic shift in the way art was perceived in India. We know a lot about you since then but very little about what happened before that. Can you throw some light on the period before that and the period since then? How much has changed?
B: There was a lack of any kind of magazine on art. There was nothing to look for education. Some information about contemporary art was given by Illustrated Weekly of India. Then the Times of India's sesquicentennial exhibition happened and that was the time when the artists from Baroda, the radical group, raised some protest because Alex Mathew was part of the show. It was very exciting at that time because then if you had to look for art only jehangir Art gallery was there. That was the only place then Gallery Chemould did some shows in Jehangir, big shows like Vivan Sundaram's. Valsan Kolleri's show at that time too was very inspiring. But that was all. That was also the time when I used to go out of my way helping people on how to present a work. As a student I learnt through helping others. That was the time I met art critic Ranjit Hoskote. He also changed things in some way by helping me a lot. He helped me a lot in my career. More than helping I would say it was sharing. But before all that when I was active in college but ignorant....Ignorant about contemporary art. But I still tried to do something with this kind of awareness.

M: But that was after you came to Mumbai. Very little is known about your pre-Mumbai daysŁ
B: You know I was always interested in art and at the same time I was interested in other subjects. I wanted to be a doctor and that is why I took science. I was never a brilliant student but the intention was to become a medical practitioner or whatever. But I didn't.

M: Before coming to Mumbai did you have any idea of how your career would shape up?
B: No. Not at all. I did not have any idea. There was one prospectus sent by a friend, a young fellow who was also interested in art. he was from my village. He was in Bombay at that time and he sent me a prospectus of JJ School of Arts. I was also not aware of other art institutions in India. At that time I must tell you I was not at all aware of Indian contemporary art at all. In the beginning itself I was so disappointed. people would tell me that I would be seeing lot of abstract art. But I had no idea as to what it was, where it was coming from. At the time that I was studying and in the process of my growth there was Kolte who was inspiring when I was in college...only Kolte. But that too was limited when you look back.

M: So why did you choose to practice art the way you did. What was the reason behind expressing your ideas in abstraction?
B: The school was going in that direction. At the same time I happened to meet lot of interesting people. Post-school, I would say, from 92 onwards I had shifted to lot of design oriented stuff. Mainly because the people I met, the artists I would meet like Akbar would discuss about design. Even the word itself was taught by Akbar Padamsee. He would say design means not design. It is De Sign ę whatever is existing you de sign it. People like him analysed small small things and deconstructed them. At that time artists like Akbar and Laxman, they were more inspiring than institutions. Actually I was more excited by meeting people. Ek naam sunoge to I felt like going and meeting that person. That is why learning in this city was more fruitful.

M: Does it matter that you have to be accepted...?
B: You like if one were to historically look at it, yes, it all matters. You were talking about networking...the institutions do the networking for those in their folds. In my entire career I had to do work and not network. I had to produce works, take them to places to show what I am and who I am.

M: But the question is as somebody who has been breaking the norms and trying to create a space in which there is an amalgam of creativity, wealth, success and fame. But in the process you are becoming an institution by yourself. One which like the other institutions only protect only those under their umbrella and restrict their freedom as well... B: It all comes from confidence. Confidence matters. All that you are saying happens when you are trying to create a space or deny certain things. I am very much of their practice which is why I am trying to do it in my own way.

M: How important is, from a curator's point of view, the artist's background while judging his work...
B: That is inconsequential. What is important is understanding the practice. Knowing how the artist works. How the theory has been involved in his practice. One should study all that, then it makes sense. I have always tried to do that though very few people realise that.

M: So the denial actually works as a motivation. It is the metabolism behind which implores you to constantly prove: I can do better...
B: Yes. I can do better. Not always but with time it might turn out to be the overriding factor. At that moment it may not be good for you. But may be in the future it may turn out as a positive. Who knows? I have been denied. Have I been denied? So far it has helped me to do well

M: You said you analyse yourself. So have there been occasions that you have regretted?
B: Yes. I was reading an interview in which one of the artists was admitting that Jay Joplin always tells that the "you always overdo things". The same kind of experience I have had with several of my shows. Lot of things are more and more and more. When your doing one work then the intensity is more and you know where you are going. But sometimes you end up overdoing things in your attempt to perfect it. So, in that respect there have been regrets. I am. however, disappointed with most of the writings on art. You know for instance the LaVa show A magazine like Art India said that it was the most well attended show. The article begins with that sentence. You don't expect that kind of reaction. But still I feel that LaVa was one of my most significant shows. Still people talked about it. Sociologists like Jyotindra Jain say that it should be archived in such a way that we should get the experiences of people who went to the show from different parts of the country. It is a project that is there in many people's minds. But I don't want to assign a permanent place to it. Such things are a never ending projects that have to travel. Which is why I believe in impermanency of things and leaving them open-ended.

M: Where is contemporary Indian art heading to?
R: This is extremely good times for contemporary Indian art. But the kind of momentary lapses we talked would not last. yet, I don't see too many young talent. I don't find a strong guy or girl wanting to reach out to the world.

M: Is that why you have ventured into curating. Promoting new talents...
R: No. Not exactly. It is part of my learning process. I do go out and travel and ask people who is a good guy but I don't see much talent coming forth. The existing art would continue. But the younger generation? I am not too sure. May be someone will come up.
                      
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