One of India's greatest artists, Akbar Padamsee, 91, passed away at the Isha Yoga Centre, Coimbatore, from natural causes. He was an avid follower of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. Born in Bombay in 1928, he graduated from Sir JJ School of Art and left for Paris in 1951 where he lived and worked until his return in 1967. Part of the Progressive Artists' Group with FN Souza and SH Raza, he also delved into photography, sculpture and film.

The man
Dadiba Pundole of Pundole Art Gallery met him when he (Pundole) was very young and remained surprised that they got along despite Padamsee being the intellectual among painters. "He never treated me like a child. It was his urge to learn that made him never write off anyone," said Pundole, who remembers him fondly for the conversations over tea and drinks. To illustrate Padamsee's thirst for knowledge, Pundole recounts an incident when he brought his plumber to the gallery to meet him and Padamsee said of the man, "He speaks with wisdom. There is so much to learn from him."