“Western art in my hierarchy comes at the top”. Though fascinated by still life as executed by masters, I used to feel something unsatisfying while engaged in its study. Elaborate backgrounds, light and shade effects, intricate posing of subjects and detailed placement of props used to leave me a little dissatisfied. Draperies for instance detract from our attention to the objects of interest. But this is not to say that background is unimportant. Only that they may hog the limelight. Eventually I learnt to do without them and I can confidently say, I have done full justice to objects and how they appear in any of my works – in so far as my skill and creativity allow me.I have been visiting my native village and other villages for a year now. Many times, I see objects from the past who have no context now. I thought of placing these objects in the present and removing as much of the context as I could. I wanted to present it as a noumenon - representation of an actual object but without context which it once had. Is that nostalgia? I am not sure. Are fossils nostalgic? Did these objects inspire me? They probably wanted a life outside of my inspiration.”