Past, Present and Future

The frenetic pace of activity that Mehta finds herself propelled by and propelling is remarkable considering that she came to Mumbai only in 1994. But her personal history explains this rush of concern for India8217;spast and present.

Inside Mehta8217;s home located in one of Mumbai8217;s most picturesque spots your eye is torn between the view outside and sights inside. The flat, overlooking the Gateway of India, has a rich, textured feel to it. An almost compulsive collector, Mehta8217;s love for beautiful crafted objects manifests itself in a desire to conserve and preserve beauty. Everything, from woven table coverings, cushion covers, mirrors, brass objects and paintings, serves as a pictorial chronicle of 20 years of travel. quot;This Mashrabeya screen is from Egypt, those porcelain lions from China, and this collection of silver Krishnas from all over India,quot; she says, showing you around her private museum.

Adding, that a majority of her collection is lying packed in boxes or in her Delhi home. Boxes that are piling up. Since her return from London, in 1994, where her husband Vikram Singh Mehta had been transferred, Mehta has also started a collection of Indian contemporary art. She is quick to point out that her collectionsare not a statement of status. Instead, she is driven by skilled craftsmanship. quot;Most of what I own are bargain buys because my budget often reined me in. If I really liked something expensive, well, we made a trade-off and the family lived on cereal for the next month,quot; she laughs.

Mehta started collecting from the days she was a student at J J School of Art. And her first fascination remains textiles easily and cheaply collected then with her sari and assorted textile accumulations lording over her other objets d8217;art. In 1976, a year after she finished her Art course, she went to New York where she became the assistant manager of the India Store, at Bloomingdales. Soon she went on to become an associate buyer. quot;Then I met my husband and we decided we wanted to get married,quot; she says, a union that took her around the world. Several transfers put paid to her desire to study further but Mehta managed to satisfy her creative urges. quot;When we were posted to Delhi, I did my Masters in English. And in Londonseveral years later, I was also able to do the Christie8217;s post-graduate course in Modern Art,quot; says she. There she also joined weekend classes in drawing and painting, a facility she regrets not being available here. Mehta has also worked as a stringer for India Today and continued writing on art when she shifted to Cairo.

Her involvement with INTACH started when Pupul Jaykar insisted that Mehta take it, on her return to India. quot;It is very satisfying to work here because I am able to help create awareness on culture, start education programmes and help in formulating cultural policies,quot; she says.

But amidst this whirlwind of work, she says her need to paint is being ignored. quot;I think my collections came out of my desire to paint. Collecting is also a search, just like art,quot; says she.

And Mehta has no intention of stopping her search. Forty-three now, with stray strands of grey hair, it seems that she has no time to grow old. And she is enjoying every second of her days which are 24 hours too short. quot;Ihave been lucky. I think someone has been very, very good to me,quot; she smiles.