Legend: no more

Paramjot Walia

The art and literature world opens up to Paramjot Walia and pays tribute to the noted poet, writer and art critic Keshav Malik.

Art&Deal : For you Keshav Malik was someone who…

Gopi Gajwani: For me Keshav was someone truly transparent and honest, like a child who had no pretensions in life and trusted every one that came in his way. He was a poet of great sensitivity who painted poems with words in great depth and meaning with enormous unimaginable shades of colors. Art was his love and passion and he wrote about it for nearly half a century that I fondly remember. His opinion about any work of art was accepted with humility in the art world. We will miss his absence more than his presence.

Sangeeta Gupta: Keshav served and guided the Indian art world for more than six decades through his critical yet constructive writings. He was one of the first persons I had met in the art world when I came to Delhi seventeen years ago. Keshav was a mentor, guide and philosopher to me. I specially admired his compassion for young and budding artists who came from all over India and flocked him for advice and help. He was generous to all artists who came to seek his advice. He always had something good to write about each artist. He was a poet’s poet. I feel enriched by the long association I had with him as a poet and a painter.

Kalicharan Gupta: Keshav Ji gave me guidance to move in the world of art. His sister Kapila Vatsyayan treats me as Keshav’s son.

Shridher Iyer : He was a promoter of Indian Art, he was, I believe, above his contemporary art critics .He had command on both figurative and abstract form of art. In my opinion five hundred Indian artists were promoted by him not only within Delhi but also outside. He was like a Godfather for all the young emerging artists.

Madhu Jain: He was very special because ego, so omnipresent in the world of art, was completely missing. He truly loved art and literature. I would say he wasn’t a 20th or 21st century man. Rather, a person who belonged to the golden age of many civilizations when philosophy, things of the heart and mind mattered, when there was excitement in discovery and the word was precious.

Alka Raghuvanshi: Keshav Malik was a colleague, in many ways a mentor. He was a respected art critic, last of the serious art critics in many ways. He was the last of the trio of art critics Santo Dutta and Krishna Chaitanya. Unlike writers of today, there was no rivalry but close friendship between the three as they wrote in different newspapers and could often be seen bonding, agreeing or isagreeing at art events. Keshav Ji looked beyond what was visible on the canvas and paid importance to the journey of the artist.

Saba Hasan: Keshav Malik was the most precious, sensitive, fearless and wisest of art critics I have ever come across; he knew us artists well, our lives, strengths and weaknesses, readily plunging into a discussion about work always prepared for an exchange of ideas`. He was a supporter and personal mentor to several generations of artists and I saw him as the conscience of an over ommercialized art world. Certainly we ,who knew him, can say there will never be another one with the purity and magic like his. And we will carry him always in our hearts.

Niren Sen Gupta: Keshav Malik’s doors were always open for everyone. He encouraged the emerging artists. I loved and admired Keshav Malik for this.

Kavita Jaiswal: For me Keshav ji was a mentor and a friend. I have had some of the most interesting conversations with him on art in general as well as my own work. He was a person who I used to wait for when I was a student .He would drop by at Triveni in the evening and a refreshing talk with him was a perfect end to a creative day. He was a person who lived at a very subtle level of consciousness and was able to catch the most sensitive nuances of life as well as Art. There was always a very far off look in his eyes as if he was in a very different realm where there was only the lightness of being free. He was a person who lived a very simple yet an extremely meaningful life. Compassion was a very strong trait in him and he would always give of himself living a completely ego free life. He would wonder with immense simplicity when people or institutions would not stand by their word and had that soft questioning look in his eyes, wondering, but without anger. He would in fact very calmly smile through the whole thing, immediately turning to the next young artist who wanted a few words written about his work. He was the most approachable art critic I have ever met in my three decades as an artist.