Pick up whatever you like and take it home,’ he said. I wasn’t too sure about it, so I politely declined the offer. But he insisted until I finally chose one of his signature Bindu pieces,” recalls 1988 batch-IRS officer Bharat Tripathi. Over a call with this writer on a day where the country is debating the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, the former Commissioner of Income Tax is reminiscing this anecdote from a visit to the late art pioneer SH Raza’s studio in the late 1990s. We can already picture some art collectors we know turning a shade of green with envy.

Anjaneya, by Bharat Tripathi

“While Raza ji undoubtedly pushed me to pursue art professionally, the writing was always on the wall,” Tripathi admits. Growing up as a student at The Bishop’s School in Pune, Tripathi dabbled in everything creative — painting, essays, and theatre. “But back in the day, these pursuits were rarely looked at as a calling,” he admits. While the Civil Services ambition ran in the Bihar native’s blood, painting remained a therapeutic outlet throughout his illustrious career. “I was painting only as a hobby on weekends and days off,” he reveals.