A basic staple of approaching a government department with any sort of request is to hear the words, ‘Baad mein aana (come later).’ These can be said rudely or sugarcoated with a promise of prompt action but just not today, but no matter how they are said, they convey a deep sense of dejection couple with hope - if they have called you again, they might be willing to help you after all.  

“In reality,” says artist Mohd Intiyaz, “It’s just a false hope.” And yet, these are the very words he chose as the name of his exhibition of paintings, currently underway in Mumbai. The lower section of the gallery is devoted to 30 paintings depicting protests spanning various periods of history, while the upper section comprises 11 large-scale pieces, each of which captures a moment in time that has left a deep impression on the artist’s memory—in particular, the fights for access to water in the neighbourhood he grew up in.