visit to Satish Naik's studio

i know Satish Naik since his Loksatta days when I was working with Indian Express but we did not inter act much those days when i was fully into spot reporting for a national daily.
ever since i held my first solo exhibition of sketches and paintings at Artist Centre Mumbai in year 2006, i have began working on my sketchbook and canvas more seriously.
when satish invited me to vist his studio , more than him i was interested to see his work . i joined him at the slope of the over-rail bridge near Palmacre housing society. he had come properly prepared to spend the day at the studio. he leaves everyday at 8 am and return in the late evening , spending his entire day at his studio,totally isolated and immersed in his creative work.
i instantly liked the place . a small one room kitchen studio-opening to a small patch of green garden at the back. so if he want to have a proper look at his canvas, he can walk a back little an take a long shot. i was amused by small black cat which went to mew mew all along attracting his attention and keeping a distance from a stranger like me.
i had seen his water colour exhibition long ago and could not recollect exactly what i had seen then but look at his work in ink and drawing paper could bring back few images. it was very intoxicating ambience creative and simple like satish himself unassuming but solid.
he talked animatedly about art world its complex nature and bad state of affairs in art schools in his home state Maharashtra. and talked about his pet project of Chinha - a wonderful periodical in Marathi language devoted totally to art -mostly paintings,painters and new work.
while returning , he gave me blank cut paper as a momento which i later used to work with chinese ink. it was very satisfying visit to a stuido