HE GOT ME IN THE FIRST ENCOUNTER

Being in the advertising field and a very creative person, I was always in touch with a range of artists. Unfortunately, I had a stroke in 2001 and cannot remember much of the past. Nonetheless, my brief encounters with S Yousuf Ali, in the early and mid 1970s are etched vividly into my memory.

I was already in a senior position in the advertising field, when I first interacted with S Yousuf Ali on the professional front - he was the creative director of the agency that was creating our advertisements. I used to always be skeptical when meeting with new artists and was rarely satisfied with their initial set of drawings. Therefore I was quite surprised when I gave a brief to Yousuf and he created a scribble right in front of me and I instantly related to his work. Our first encounter itself was a long session where we ended up brainstorming on how to develop the campaign further and make some modifications to the scribbles. Eventually, we ended up working closely and enjoyably together to create a brilliant campaign for Blue Star.

This professional relationship with Yousuf soon developed into a personal one. When Yousuf visited my house, he was pleasantly surprised with my art collection - more so since I was also fond of collecting nudes. Yousuf was at that time working on a nude series and sooner than later I had one of his works in my collection and prominently displayed in my living room.

Our contact reduced as Yousuf left the advertising profession, to focus more on his fine art career. He dived so deeply into his passion, that he left contact with many old friends. When I moved apartments a couple of decades later, I was keen to add another Yousuf to my collection. On seeking him out, I was saddened to know that he has passed away unceremoniously in 1997. I still cannot get over the void created by his premature demise.

I always felt that Yousuf was one of greatest artists ever produced in India and always hoped to contribute in some way to ensure that he gets due recognition. So when I was approached by Aura Art, I readily agreed to participate in this long overdue and noble cause - not only to do justice to an old friend, but also to ensure that the world gets to see and appreciate the works of a timeless master.

Hari K Mathur