Return of the prodigal

8220;I am one of those horses who believe in the long run. When the boom in art occurred I was happy but I did not take undue advantage. Now when it has settled down to real prices, I think that I made the right decision,8221; says Padwal whose prices had been reasonable even before the crash.

The working title of his show,

Myopia indicates of his angst over the current violence that is pervading world over. A shikara made of toy guns speaks of the violence in Kashmir, while technically excellent photorealist renditions of burqa-clad women on his trademark wooden boards are juxtaposed with photographically reproduced images of American soldiers immortalised on large metallic dog tags.

8220;Probably it won8217;t make a difference, but this show is my request to all fundamental forces to think before they take to arms,8221; says the 38-year-old who grew up in Kumbarwada where Muslims and Hindus lived side-by-side; yet communal tensions were not visible. 8220;Now violence is happening on a larger scale. The US is selling us burgers and bombs and Asia, the G8 or even the UN is lapping it all up,8221; says Padwal impassioned by his ideology-the artist has been seen less at page-three dos and has been holed up working.

Having moved from the more abstract notion of urban angst and his brooding desolate men, Padwal is ready to take on political and topical work, head on8212;which is why the use of photorealism was necessary.

8220;That my late father was an MP has actually given me a ringside view of the political scenario in Mumbai, something that often turned my blood cold, but I was part of that milieu because my father was indebted to politicians who helped him financially,8221; recalls Padwal. 8220;I got exposed to local politics and how petty local strong armed men would be lambs in the day but prowl around like lions at night,8221; says the artist whose strong critique of government forces stems from his early exposure to it.

Besides an immediate reaction to current issues, Padwal also has a few works that go back in time to revive old images of how the British, in colonial times, would measure and categorise people according to their caste. 8220;Calibrating caste takes a critical look at 14th century images since the impact of them are still being felt. Through these so-called scientific methods people were relegated to the sidelines based on the shape of their skull. The barbaric nature of such an act was justified then and it is still used to create barriers,8221; says Padwal who also acknowledges that he is privileged 8220;yet I feel it is important to speak of these issues8221;.