He adds that the rearview-mirror approach the artist has endeavored has lent a new meaning to the term ‘Past Forward’ and the works themselves.

Sixty-four-year-old Arakkal’s book is more of a journey through his entire oeuvre. Published by Galerie Sara Arakkal, also in Bangalore, the monograph contains text by three writers P Surendran, a short story writer and columnist who writes primarily in Malayalam, P Sudhakaran, an art critic, and Giridhar Khanis, a freelance writer-photographer.

While Surendran traces the early days of Arakkal’s art, Sudhakaran gathers critical acclaim for his work by quoting several art critics and historians who have spoken, written about Arakkal’s work. Khanis evaluates Arakkal’s Book of References, a project that the artist began in 2001 and continued in 2005. Arakkal pays homage to the artists who inspired him in his book that is partly text and partly drawings.

The importance of an art book can not be stressed on enough, given the dearth of documentation of Indian art.