Making the Cut

In fact, there was a distinct rivalry between the two boys, with Mujib’s swank jackets or Akhtar’s precocious nature, often getting involved in mild clashes. Today, however, there are only faint traces of that boyhood rivalry as the 59-year-old Mujib basks in the warm glow and attention his recent Delhi and Mumbai exhibitions have brought him. Now Akhtar takes a brotherly pride as his comrade gets his share of the limelight (at last) for his collage work, Dareechey (his Mumbai show concludes today at the Artist Centre).

‘‘Although Farhan was shy, he was always a good painter, a singer with a great voice and surprisingly, very good in studies,’’ recalls Akhtar with a dash of wit thrown in for good measure—‘‘he was also the only kid to have a red imported bicycle!’’

With his affluent and scholarly background, it was only natural that Mujib went on to become an academic and not an artist. But the creative side of his genes got the better of him (with Ismat Chugtai for an aunt, what else should one expect?) and Mujib has given in to his 41-year-old itch. ‘‘Showing my work comes at the tail end of a profession as a science teacher—so I have nothing to lose. I’ve had a ball getting this show together although it has been really hard work,’’ says Mujib, who put in 12-hour days to complete work for his exhibitions.

Being an untrained artist, Mujib is not constrained by any of the ‘isms’ that usually come with being arty. And while many an artist would cringe when words like pretty, glossy and popular are used in context to their work, Mujib embraces them wholeheartedly. Even to the extent of comparing what he does with the scissors and glue in his studio to the shears and hose in his garden.

‘‘I love gardening, it’s such fun. I feel the same way about painting,’’ grins the hobbyist who would often put together small collages for his buddies as birthday presents.

However, a moment of serendipity changed Mujib’s fancy for dabbling with old magazine cut-outs. Art dealer Sharan Apparao (of Apparao Galleries in Chennai) happened to espy a Mujib collage, loved it and got in touch with the artist.

‘‘She was serious about having shows. I have to thank Javed for his moral support or I would have never got through the project,’’ admits Mujib, a big fan of MF Husain and Manjit Bawa.

‘‘When I used to paint I always felt that I had a Husain hangover. But my collage work is really my own style,’’ says Mujib. No wonder then that it was his collages and not his paintings that got him his first show. Like they say—it’s never too late to begin.