Babumon, the roommate from university who I always called “the mad guy”, called on me while in the city to organise an art exhibition on behalf of a Lalit Kala Academy. I refer to him as my guru, at least in appreciating art forms (including music, movies etc). He had taught me to appreciate Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ for instance or for that matter ‘Les Demoiselles d’Avignon’.

How is ‘Modigliani’ pronounced, I learnt from him.

He never called himself a Cubist, but wouldn’t mind if someone else called him so.

He tried his hand at trying to infuse some aesthetic sense into someone whose sense of beauty was not up to the mark for him. He tried introducing me to Cubism and the underlying philosophies.

He didn’t think money was necessary. But thought art was all, and that sky was the roof. But now, he had learnt the wordly ways forced by circumstances. Market forces had smartened him.

He explained post-modernism and, the post-modern artists and their works. But, I could never traverse the fourth dimension — which is time. I was probably too caught up in the present to be able to enter the fourth dimension.

After his masters in fine arts, which he did just for an opportunity to work with an artist he admired, he took to farming hoping to paint in all peace and quiet in a village away from the madding crowds.

But, alas, the vagaries of the weather and the wildlife (mostly elephants) dashed his hopes. Pure economics took over. He realised, his revenues did not match his expenditure. Many a times he had to face losses. Also, the paint/pastels and canvas or paper too cost him a lot. Instead of falling into the hands of money lenders, he became a teacher.

He had a girlfriend of eight years and decided to get married. Now he was forced to step into the real world. He had to run a family and he has landed a job with Lalit Kala Academy. With that vanished his opportunities to paint.

I still get to interact with painters and other artists, he insists. But, says, he misses painting by himself because he has no time. He takes a few weeks together sometimes to complete a work.