Harmeet Singh: Can you describe the extent of your interaction with Prof N S Bendre as a student at the Faculty of Fine Arts, M S University of Baroda?
Jayant Parikh: Prof N S Bendre was my Guru for 9 years. Before Prof. N S Bendre left Baroda in 1967 after staying in the city for 16 years, he called me at his residence and said and I quote,“Jayant, I see hidden potential in you for the rhythmic forms, rich colours and spacious compositions and the possibility of exploration of a meaningful visual vocabulary. You must develop a sense of appreciation for the Indian classical music and develop your canvas as raga progresses from simple 'alap' to a more complex form of 'druta'. He further stressed that and I quote, “you should learn how to commune with nature and feel the vibrancy of cosmological variation.”

Harmeet Singh: So how much is the influence of Indian classical music and dance in your artworks?
Jayant Parikh: As a painter, the richness of colour, the figurative forms I create and the divine rhythm in my compositions are a result of the inspiration I have drawn from Indian classical musicians and dancers like Sultan Khan, Kishori Amonker, Kumar Gandharva, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Birju Maharaj to name a few.

Harmeet Singh: What else inspires you for your compositions?
Jayant Parikh: Besides music, Indian cultural heritage is a great source of motivation to me. I regularly visit places which provide me an opportunity to be at ease with nature. I also enjoy visiting forts, palaces, temples, caves etc. as a source of inspiration for new creative forms.

Harmeet Singh: I have observed that there is a tremendous sense of multiplicity of forms in your work based on a strong musical undertone, evolving a coherent representation of movement. Would you throw some light on this?
Jayant Parikh: Whenever I look at such architectural structures, I start assuming a sense of shuddering in my body and visualise the theme for my composition, certainly based on the notion of movement and the pulsating vibrancy in the form of rhythm which got frozen in these spacious outdoors, constantly poignant in me. And finally, these forms find their way into the panoramic vision of space and impacts the human mind.

Harmeet Singh: What is your reaction to the element of acrobatics in your compositions?
Jayant Parikh: Since my childhood days I was charmed with acrobatics. I learnt the Malkhambh - a traditional acrobatic form. So at times there is an element of somersaulting cluster of human figures floating around in my artworks, growing and diffusing in mystic space. My human figures are human trajectory in a given space derived from the historic past and configured in the context of the contemporary present.

Harmeet Singh: Who was instrumental in your development and growth as an artist?
Jayant Parikh: Apart from Prof. N S Bendre whose teachings equipped me with a balance of skill and sensibilities and enhanced my drawing abilities, my elder brother Natu Parikh helped me gain finer insights in art. Later, my association with Aura Art with its principle ideology of promoting art and artists, significantly influenced my work, not only in terms of qualitative inputs and ojectivity but also in terms of my growth as an artist.

Here I would be failing in my duty if I do not mention the names of Mr Kekoo Gandhi, Mrs Khorshad Gandhi and Mrs Uttara Parikh who provided support to me in my formative years.