Yusuf Arakkal, G S Shenoy, S G Vasudev and Paresh Maity announced their creative inclinations through the canvas. But these artistes share more than their common love for art. It is their go-to man for all art material, M R Rangaraj, who runs the state’s exclusive art and drawing material store under the banner, Bhaskar Art Centre.
What makes this man’s business more profound is the cramped space where he sells everything from canvas rolls, oil paints, acrylic colours, lacquer sprays, brushes, varnish, poster colours, gels, canvas frames, sketch books and boards, strikingly hidden in a bylane off the bustling Avenue Road. For a store, which is the favourite of most artists in the state and even favoured by some around the country, there’s hardly enough space to stock colours. Perhaps so, in an old world sort of selflessness, Rangaraj has no place for fame either.
“I am happy with this place and have no ambition to move higher,” he says with humility.
Of course, Bhaskar Art Centre has grown. From a 400 sq. ft. place on the same road, back in 1984, to a vertical 1500 sq. ft. shop now, it nonetheless remains too small for all the necessities of an artist. The Centre has branches in Chitrakala Parishad and at BMS School of Architecture, Yelahanka.
“The business was the idea of my brother-in-law. He has travelled across Europe where the concept of an exclusive art shop was prevalent. It was unheard of during those days in Bangalore. So we took over a small shop, which was then called the Bangalore Stationary Mart (sic) and started off. People used to wonder what an art shop meant. We used to hardly make `30 per day working 12 hours,” says Rangaraj
According to him, those were days when it was very difficult to sell even one roll of canvas. “Popular artists also refused to buy branded canvases,” he says.
Slowly, the name started to get around. Painters like Arakkal, Chandranath Acharya, JMS Mani, BKS Verma, KT Shivaprasad were his first customers. “In 1986, M F Hussain started to come to us. At times, he would visit our shop at least 6-7 times in a day. Yusuf Arakkal does not come to our shop, he just calls,” says Rangaraj.
A man of accounts and not of art, Rangaraj has never tried painting.”It is not my cup of tea. I know the business and our customers have taught us so much, especially people like M F Hussain who would spend a lot of time with us. They have practically taught us the business,” says Rangaraj.
According to him, he is fortunate to be patronised by the art fraternity and owe the fame of his store to them. “People like Pushpa Dravid, mother of Rahul Dravid, who teaches at the Visveshvaraya College of Architecture, patronised us. So we now supply to many architectural colleges in the state,” he says.
He opened a branch in Chitrakala Parishad about eight years ago and in BMS about six months back. “We have offers from other institutions also, but we do not have the manpower,” says Rangaraj.
On his own, he manufactures items like sketchbooks, brushes and converts canvas to frames but he has not branded them. “Customers find it economical because there is no transportation cost unlike the branded ones,” he says.
What they say
“I am probably among his first customers. Many reputed artists are his clients. He is a genuine person and you can rely on his material. Just a call, and the material is at your doorstep.” Yusuf Arakkal, artist
“I have been relying on Bhaskar Art Centre for the past 25 years and the store is probably the only one which will deliver whatever you want.” Chandranath Acharya, painter
“My relation with Rangaraj is more as a friend than business. I have been going to his store right from the beginning. I think his is a monopoly even today. He does not even bother us about the money.” G S Shenoy, artist