‘Over the years,I’ve found comfort in my world of silence’

There was a period when your work reflected trauma. Some of your most celebrated works are Mourning Mass that depicted Partition victims and Shatranj ke Khiladi,which was a take on indifferent rulers.
Partition is close to my heart and what I witnessed remained with me and was reflected in my work. Art was a medium to express that turmoil. An artist has a style and that becomes his identity but this style can only be stretched to a degree,afterwards it becomes stale. That is the reason why I kept on experimenting with theme and medium. I saw a wood fire yielding colourful,luminous embers and made sculptures in burnt wood. I was also one of the first Indian artists to make paper collages.

There have often been comparisons between MF Husain and you. Both of you made a foray into architecture together.
I respect Husain and we share a good rapport. When I was making the Belgium Embassy in New Delhi,Husain too started work on Modi House. I remember meeting him and asking,“So are you designing a building too?” He said,“I will go wherever you go next.” I joked,“My next step is towards the brothel,will you follow me there too?”

You also did other important architecture assignments,including a palace in Riyadh for Saudi Arabia’s royal family. There are also murals at Shastri Bhavan,Delhi,and Gandhi Bhawan,Chandigarh,among others. Was public art always important to you?
Paintings go to a rich man’s house but I wanted to be accessible to all. It was due to my initiative that Jawaharlal Nehru made a rule that two per cent of the cost incurred towards making a public building should be allotted for murals and sculptures. That rule is still around.

In 1952,you went to Mexico on a scholarship and an apprenticeship with Diego Rivera and David Siqueiros. I believe it was the Mexican poet Octavio Paz who helped you get the scholarship.
In the list of artists called for the interview,my name was at the end. I was accompanied by my brother Inder (I.K. Gujral) for the interview and both of us carried one art work of mine. I had no hope that I’d be selected because of my hearing disability and the fact that I barely knew English. Octavio Paz happened to see my work and it was on his recommendation that I won the scholarship. Later when I met him,I asked what prompted him to recommend me. He said,“Every negative that could be associated with a person was in you,there was a good chance to be an artist”. Going to Mexico helped me immensely,it led me to discover India better. Both countries had a history of colonialism.

Did the visit to Mexico also make you drift away from communism?
Yes,it did. There were many Russian artists in Mexico who told me what was happening in Russia. I remember being disillusioned when Inder returned from a trip to England,disappointed with communism,but it was my own experience that made me move away from it. My father supported Congress but did not force either Inder or me to do the same.

You have an association with the Congress. You painted Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira before she became Prime Minister.
I painted both during the same period. It was during my visits to Teen Murti,when I was deputed to paint Nehru that I expressed a desire to paint Indira as well. When the portrait was ready,Charles Fabri,a noted critic,reviewed it and described it as ruthless,which left me totally disappointed. So whenever Nehru asked for the portrait,Inder brushed aside the topic. One day,we finally told him that we were afraid because Indira looked ruthless in it. To which Nehru laughed and said,“So what? She is ruthless. You found out before anyone else could.”

Your children also choose to follow creative pursuits. Your son Mohit is an architect,Alpana is a jewellery designer and Raseel is an interior designer.
They were never told what to do but they were brought up in an environment that was artistically inclined. What gives me happiness is that all of them are successful. My wife Kiran was an artist too. She discontinued her career to support me. We first met during an exhibition when she was studying art at Delhi Polytechnic. She has been by my side since.

What has been the influence of Urdu poetry on your art? Your autobiography starts with a verse by Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
Poetry not just influenced my art but is also an integral part of my life. My hearing was affected at the age of eight due to an accident and I was bedridden for a long time. I spent hours reading Urdu poetry. It was the only language I had learnt to read till then. Poems of Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz were like music for me.

Some years ago,you opted for a cochlear implant but decided to get it removed. Why?
I found it distracting. Over the years,I had found comfort in my own world of silence and decided to go back to it.

There was a film that was being made on you by producer Bobby Bedi. Is that still in the pipeline?
We got some funds from the Mexican government for the project,but there are some issues that need to be taken care of in India. So the project is delayed. I’m hoping it will materialise.

And when will we see another exhibition? Is there a theme you intend to work on?
(Director)Ashok Vajpeyi has asked me to book space at Lalit Kala Akademi,so perhaps there will be a show in Delhi later this year. I promise that this series too will surprise you.