Fragments from an unstructured existence

"My childhood was a canvas saturated with the blue mountains, the lush green of the varying hues of the paddy fields, the cool shade of the coconut groves, and the endless religious festivities of gaiety and color. These awed and inspired me, there was little else to do except, grab my brushes and colors and try to express the joy of living"

The majestic Western Ghats one side and the Arabian Sea on the other the evergreen strip in between the district of Mangalore and the town famous for its Krishna temple. It was here that Milind Nayak first painted. "I must have been thirteen and had to draw the digestive tract of a human being for my science class. My mother saw how well I had sketched and predicted that I would be an artist one day". 

Except he joined Syndicate Bank and spent valuable years keeping count of other things. "I painted off and on of course. In 1968 I met the late G S Shenoy and on his encouragement held a number of shows. We even started South Canara Art Council to encourage local artists."

Down the years, Milind experimented with oil, watercolor, wax crayons, dry pastels, ink and even plain pencil. His works were outstanding, and he did sell but he didn't possess the PR skills required to hit the big time. 

A couple of years ago, Rajesh Pai of the Manipal Group came across some canvasses of Milind, who had by then quit the bank "knowing that my calling was that of an artist. "

Rajesh was stunned by the abstracts. One day in October last, Rajesh met art connoisseur Akumal Ramachander, famous for his discovery of abstract expressionist Harold Shapinsky "I was bowled over. Milind was superb. When I did meet him I asked him whether I could curate an exhibition of his."

Milind agreed not realizing that Akumal would keep at him, day after day, pushing him to work on new canvasses, till the artist produced a portfolio of some of the finest abstract to come out of India in along time.

Milind has been literally 're- discovered.' Art critics are unanimous in their opinion that Milind is a rare talent. Ironically, really, Milind has been painting fine works for nearly two decades. 

A couple of years ago, when fame and fortune had eluded him, Milind took photographs of his canvasses and bound them in a book form. "so that my wife Suma and two children Shibani and Phalguni would have the record of my work." In many ways this book provides provide in sights into Milind's keen mind - artistic in
temperament, with a poets felicity with words. In the book to his family he said " I have lived much of my life as a recluse, shunning the glitter associated with the art world. I have made every conscious attempt to avoid getting labeled as an artist. 

I prefer the anonymity of my doodles and my silent pursuit of color and forms. Naming them or intellectualizing the process of these simple acts would certainly be an act of lying to myself." 

Fate is now propelling Milind onto a greater and wider canvas, but even in terms of philosophy is an abstract concept!



SUNDAY BRUNCH - The Sunday Times of India, Bangalore, March 28th 1999 By Allen Mendonca.