I first up since to sort of start from
the beginning thank you very much for
having me invited here for the AFM C
lecture I’m very happy to be your at the
cysteine Institute and thank you very
and indeed a pleasure to be sure talk
tang with so many speakers who have very
interesting stories to tell and very
interesting journeys so I’m very happy
to be here with them and talk time again
but I wonder what makes you as an
audience come here what was the reason
whether it was curiosity to know
something about someone was rebooted why
people reboot what is the reason
rebooting and how they do it or is it
just to gain inspiration from others who
have rebooted while you’re considering
it so we all have interesting journey is
an interesting ideas and I would I did
reboot and I urge you to bring it go
ahead and do it easier said than done
but I was a person who did my
microbiology
post-graduation in microbiology and
thereafter I went to selling books maps
and prints the old as we would call them
the old antiquarian books maps and
prints a totally different field I
became an entrepreneur in this field and
what I started off with was studying the
present and the future and I went on
actually to study the past specifically
the Cree colonial and the colonial past
which would be the art history the maps
the books which we would call the
objects the art in today’s times so it’s
entirely the entire period from the 15
to the 18th century on Indian history
and apart from that what I also do is I
conceptualized two companies
began with rare finds then went on
started Hindustan revisited through
which I they were conceptualized because
I wanted to sell these things to people
who were also interested in collecting
the machette similar interest and also
to sell these things make available to
people who wanted to acquire them that
is by that so basically in today’s times
these are collectibles they are used as
the core items and of course they tell
you stories about our history and our
art from that period having done having
started companies on the academic front
what I did was I had to relearn things I
have redefined risk so I went on to
study Indian aesthetics I went on to do
art history and today I have reached
such a stage where my speciality
and I’m a faculty member for a lot of
institutes and universities and of
course I also am associated with museums
where I am again a faculty member for
our curatorial studies on this subject
on the Klamath pub so and of course from
selling books and I went studying books
and maps and prints and dealing in them
but this journey was not easy it was not
simple and I could do it because that
was my interest there was something I
was interested in and I sort of
converted my hobby into this but the
decision was not simple Hey I did that
for the longest time I could not choose
I could not decide what I wanted to do
and because I could not choose I had
what was my Eureka moment and I thought
I’m gonna do this path time and ever
pursue this but I could not break away
with the traditional
training and until the time that there
was a very thick situation
where I was walking and on a road which
is close to my residence and you have
that was before swatch bharat’ came on
and he used to be dazed to be designated
garbage bins and somebody had discarded
a book an old book of course which was
on the history of the Iran Shahi temple
the ranch’s pilgrimage spot for Parsees
and that was a very air walk a very
unusual book and as I was walking by the
person who left it on a wall next to the
bill naturally didn’t want to discard it
in the bill he would or she may have
been guilty that I can’t discuss such a
nice book and a book which is religious
so it was kept on a wall and I managed
to pass by last around you know whether
belong to somebody it wasn’t there so I
said let me take it with me but for me
at that moment because I was so to my
inner conflict
it became the divine direction for me
and I decided that okay this is what I
want to do I still wouldn’t have
actually pursued it and my husband not
pushed me into it
because he virtually said at a point no
you can do both you need to do it but I
guess a lot of us would cling on to our
earlier training because that is what we
comfortable that gives you a sense of
comfort but once that break came the
clean break came I could give that same
amount of people that pursue what I
wanted to do with conviction so that was
very important now after I went on to do
all working and you know the whole lot I
came across when I started to things
which I did not anticipate my first
challenge was my age I started young so
somehow there was a conception that you
have art and you have history two things
which are handled by mature people
so even when I was invited to lecture
and talk
I’ve actually overheard commands and
conversations where I said he’s too
young well she makes sense to students
who are barely nearly her age
so that was a one issue and the other
was my window I was trying to work and
actually even create a field which was
nascent it was not professionally
managed it was not something which was
where widely known at the time I started
and of course with any situation as such
it would naturally be presumed that it
handled by men so this situations a lot
of using electrodes and sometimes very
frankly annoying situations as well due
to my presumed identity but I did not
want to reboot my day but I wanted to
succeed because of it so and I’m glad I
did because this is it was very
difficult to bake breakthrough at that
point and then of course I went on did
what I liked
I can save been successful and with
success came another problem again not
anticipated there was another company or
a lot of group of people who realized
that rare finds was successful concept
was a good name a good reputation
so they decided to sell products which
were basically the core items under the
name of Gravelines
now it could not have come at a worse
time because I was pregnant with police
hospital stays because I was just not
keeping well and frankly at that moment
I was like I’d I didn’t I wasn’t
bothered about who did what because I
was on I was not even working but it was
a stage where I had worked with
something I’d built up this company it
had I had to protect the company’s
reputation I had to sort of face up to
the situation and say I have to do
something about it and there again I had
my family who said if you think you can
manage we will do it for you but this is
something that you have worked we have
developed and you need to do something
you can’t let somebody just walk over
you and thank God for that and their
course there were many people who sort
of
came and helped I got the most wonderful
lawyer but I had to fight and I had to
fight a copyright case against the
person and so if you and especially the
youngsters you know if you think of
doing something you’ve done something
creative which is unusual it is not
simple enough to just be successful but
you need to take care of it and you have
to stop others from misusing it I
learned that the hard way now all this
was very well I mean all businesses have
issues all startups have issues but then
what was important for me was I was
enjoying what I was doing right and as a
successful academic profession
professional as a successful
entrepreneur I was very happy doing what
I did and I’m glad I rebooted but the
greatest satisfaction comes from the
fact that while I went upon doing my
work while I was working towards
establishing my profession I a
by-product if I can call it so was that
I was succeeded in changing the mindset
of people towards these rare books maps
and prints the earlier mindset was
neglect largely due to an awareness and
as a result most of these things would
be lost due to the ravages of time
because of the exhibitions and the kind
of articles and interviews and whatever
you know increase the awareness
increased and because of that people I
know I am now the knowledge that I have
that you know there is a widespread
realization that these things have to be
preserved and kept well not just amongst
the cultural connoisseurs or the
collectors but even amongst the people
in general and that has been a very
important development for me because it
makes me my work as an art historian
worthwhile to know that for me to know
that all the work all my effort has gone
into the preservation of these things
for the future so we have ensured that
the future generations also get to see
all that we have preserved and it’s not
lost due to the ravages
time so that was what made my room
rebooting worthwhile and you know there
are always a lot of things which make
you happy
which you know which make your efforts
worthwhile but for me this was the best
part I’ve it’s been a wonderful journey
I’ve met some very lovely people and I
keep on meeting them a very
knowledgeable people and their own
fields and changing your profession you
know when you set out to do something
like that you don’t know what you’re
going in for but listen to your heart if
you all feel like yes and want to reboot
reboot it’s just go ahead and do it
what’s the worst thing you’re only
giving yourself a chance so thank you [Applause]
the beginning thank you very much for
having me invited here for the AFM C
lecture I’m very happy to be your at the
cysteine Institute and thank you very
and indeed a pleasure to be sure talk
tang with so many speakers who have very
interesting stories to tell and very
interesting journeys so I’m very happy
to be here with them and talk time again
but I wonder what makes you as an
audience come here what was the reason
whether it was curiosity to know
something about someone was rebooted why
people reboot what is the reason
rebooting and how they do it or is it
just to gain inspiration from others who
have rebooted while you’re considering
it so we all have interesting journey is
an interesting ideas and I would I did
reboot and I urge you to bring it go
ahead and do it easier said than done
but I was a person who did my
microbiology
post-graduation in microbiology and
thereafter I went to selling books maps
and prints the old as we would call them
the old antiquarian books maps and
prints a totally different field I
became an entrepreneur in this field and
what I started off with was studying the
present and the future and I went on
actually to study the past specifically
the Cree colonial and the colonial past
which would be the art history the maps
the books which we would call the
objects the art in today’s times so it’s
entirely the entire period from the 15
to the 18th century on Indian history
and apart from that what I also do is I
conceptualized two companies
began with rare finds then went on
started Hindustan revisited through
which I they were conceptualized because
I wanted to sell these things to people
who were also interested in collecting
the machette similar interest and also
to sell these things make available to
people who wanted to acquire them that
is by that so basically in today’s times
these are collectibles they are used as
the core items and of course they tell
you stories about our history and our
art from that period having done having
started companies on the academic front
what I did was I had to relearn things I
have redefined risk so I went on to
study Indian aesthetics I went on to do
art history and today I have reached
such a stage where my speciality
and I’m a faculty member for a lot of
institutes and universities and of
course I also am associated with museums
where I am again a faculty member for
our curatorial studies on this subject
on the Klamath pub so and of course from
selling books and I went studying books
and maps and prints and dealing in them
but this journey was not easy it was not
simple and I could do it because that
was my interest there was something I
was interested in and I sort of
converted my hobby into this but the
decision was not simple Hey I did that
for the longest time I could not choose
I could not decide what I wanted to do
and because I could not choose I had
what was my Eureka moment and I thought
I’m gonna do this path time and ever
pursue this but I could not break away
with the traditional
training and until the time that there
was a very thick situation
where I was walking and on a road which
is close to my residence and you have
that was before swatch bharat’ came on
and he used to be dazed to be designated
garbage bins and somebody had discarded
a book an old book of course which was
on the history of the Iran Shahi temple
the ranch’s pilgrimage spot for Parsees
and that was a very air walk a very
unusual book and as I was walking by the
person who left it on a wall next to the
bill naturally didn’t want to discard it
in the bill he would or she may have
been guilty that I can’t discuss such a
nice book and a book which is religious
so it was kept on a wall and I managed
to pass by last around you know whether
belong to somebody it wasn’t there so I
said let me take it with me but for me
at that moment because I was so to my
inner conflict
it became the divine direction for me
and I decided that okay this is what I
want to do I still wouldn’t have
actually pursued it and my husband not
pushed me into it
because he virtually said at a point no
you can do both you need to do it but I
guess a lot of us would cling on to our
earlier training because that is what we
comfortable that gives you a sense of
comfort but once that break came the
clean break came I could give that same
amount of people that pursue what I
wanted to do with conviction so that was
very important now after I went on to do
all working and you know the whole lot I
came across when I started to things
which I did not anticipate my first
challenge was my age I started young so
somehow there was a conception that you
have art and you have history two things
which are handled by mature people
so even when I was invited to lecture
and talk
I’ve actually overheard commands and
conversations where I said he’s too
young well she makes sense to students
who are barely nearly her age
so that was a one issue and the other
was my window I was trying to work and
actually even create a field which was
nascent it was not professionally
managed it was not something which was
where widely known at the time I started
and of course with any situation as such
it would naturally be presumed that it
handled by men so this situations a lot
of using electrodes and sometimes very
frankly annoying situations as well due
to my presumed identity but I did not
want to reboot my day but I wanted to
succeed because of it so and I’m glad I
did because this is it was very
difficult to bake breakthrough at that
point and then of course I went on did
what I liked
I can save been successful and with
success came another problem again not
anticipated there was another company or
a lot of group of people who realized
that rare finds was successful concept
was a good name a good reputation
so they decided to sell products which
were basically the core items under the
name of Gravelines
now it could not have come at a worse
time because I was pregnant with police
hospital stays because I was just not
keeping well and frankly at that moment
I was like I’d I didn’t I wasn’t
bothered about who did what because I
was on I was not even working but it was
a stage where I had worked with
something I’d built up this company it
had I had to protect the company’s
reputation I had to sort of face up to
the situation and say I have to do
something about it and there again I had
my family who said if you think you can
manage we will do it for you but this is
something that you have worked we have
developed and you need to do something
you can’t let somebody just walk over
you and thank God for that and their
course there were many people who sort
of
came and helped I got the most wonderful
lawyer but I had to fight and I had to
fight a copyright case against the
person and so if you and especially the
youngsters you know if you think of
doing something you’ve done something
creative which is unusual it is not
simple enough to just be successful but
you need to take care of it and you have
to stop others from misusing it I
learned that the hard way now all this
was very well I mean all businesses have
issues all startups have issues but then
what was important for me was I was
enjoying what I was doing right and as a
successful academic profession
professional as a successful
entrepreneur I was very happy doing what
I did and I’m glad I rebooted but the
greatest satisfaction comes from the
fact that while I went upon doing my
work while I was working towards
establishing my profession I a
by-product if I can call it so was that
I was succeeded in changing the mindset
of people towards these rare books maps
and prints the earlier mindset was
neglect largely due to an awareness and
as a result most of these things would
be lost due to the ravages of time
because of the exhibitions and the kind
of articles and interviews and whatever
you know increase the awareness
increased and because of that people I
know I am now the knowledge that I have
that you know there is a widespread
realization that these things have to be
preserved and kept well not just amongst
the cultural connoisseurs or the
collectors but even amongst the people
in general and that has been a very
important development for me because it
makes me my work as an art historian
worthwhile to know that for me to know
that all the work all my effort has gone
into the preservation of these things
for the future so we have ensured that
the future generations also get to see
all that we have preserved and it’s not
lost due to the ravages
time so that was what made my room
rebooting worthwhile and you know there
are always a lot of things which make
you happy
which you know which make your efforts
worthwhile but for me this was the best
part I’ve it’s been a wonderful journey
I’ve met some very lovely people and I
keep on meeting them a very
knowledgeable people and their own
fields and changing your profession you
know when you set out to do something
like that you don’t know what you’re
going in for but listen to your heart if
you all feel like yes and want to reboot
reboot it’s just go ahead and do it
what’s the worst thing you’re only
giving yourself a chance so thank you [Applause]
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