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By:

Shiv Sethi

10 January 2026 at 8:13:11 pm

‘Through stories, we get to experience many lives’

Tarab Khan is a contemporary artist, author and storyteller whose creative practice moves fluidly between the worlds of visual art and literature. Her work is deeply influenced by imagination, storytelling and her fascination with worlds that exist beyond the familiar. She is currently presenting her latest solo exhibition, Time Unchained, at the Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery in Mumbai, from September 15-20. The exhibition explores ideas of time, memory and shifting realities, bringing...

‘Through stories, we get to experience many lives’

Tarab Khan is a contemporary artist, author and storyteller whose creative practice moves fluidly between the worlds of visual art and literature. Her work is deeply influenced by imagination, storytelling and her fascination with worlds that exist beyond the familiar. She is currently presenting her latest solo exhibition, Time Unchained, at the Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery in Mumbai, from September 15-20. The exhibition explores ideas of time, memory and shifting realities, bringing together dreamlike imagery and recurring symbols that invite the viewer to look beyond the visible. In this conversation with Shiv Sethi, Tarab speaks about the stories behind her art, her literary influences, the recurring motifs in her work, and how writing and painting continue to shape her creative journey. Excerpts… How has your love for writing and storytelling influenced your journey as an artist? I’ve always loved writing, and I’ve been especially drawn to fables and stories that transport you into another world. For me, it was never just about escapism. It was about entering a different reality, discovering something new, and coming back with a different perspective. In real life, we can only live one life, but through stories, we get to experience many. I think that fascination naturally flows into my art as well. When I paint, I’m not simply creating an image; somewhere, I’m also telling a story. My writing and my art really come from the same place: my love for imagination and storytelling. What themes, emotions or subjects are most frequently reflected in your artwork? A recurring motif in my work is the idea of a portal. It may appear as a lamp, a smoking pipe, or an unexpected opening, but for me, it represents a passage between realities, time and imagination. I’ve always been fascinated by the possibility of crossing into another world, perhaps influenced by stories like Alice in Wonderland and Narnia. In my work, the portal becomes more than an object; it becomes a space of transition, inviting the viewer to move beyond the familiar and imagine another reality. Which literary work or writer has intrigued and influenced you the most? Fernando Pessoa has always fascinated me, both as a writer and as a mystery. He wrote through different literary identities, each with its own voice and personality, almost as though several writers lived within him. I’m especially intrigued by the trunk he left behind, filled with thousands of pages of manuscripts and fragments. There is something beautiful about quietly creating an entire literary universe without knowing how far it might one day travel. Which of your own creative works have you felt most deeply invested in? At this stage, I would say it is the two books I have been developing over couple of years, one on storytelling and the other on art. I’ve invested a great deal of myself in them, not only creatively, but through months of research, experimentation and thought. The storytelling book is an invitation into the world of stories: how we imagine, develop themes and find our own voice. The art book explores what art is, its different eras and ideas, while introducing creative techniques that encourage readers to discover their own way of seeing.

Indian Shipbuilding A Must Win Marathon

Writer: Capt. Naveen S Singhal
Capt. Naveen S Singhal
Dec 5, 2024
4 min read
Shipbuilding

With a coastline of 7500 KM, it is hard to imagine, that for the first 20 years (1947-1967) India had no ‘shipping ministry’. In 1967 a Shipping ministry “coupled” with ROAD transport was established. Since then, this ministry has been on a name changing ride, not once, not twice but six times. In 2009 the “ROAD Transport and Highways” was de-coupled and ‘Shipping’ ministry was formed. Turning point came in 2015 with a clear maritime vision for 2030 and 2047. Ministry was re-christened, aptly to Ministry of “Ports, Shipping and Waterways” in 2020.


Why is Shipbuilding important for a country?

a. A Shipyard becomes an opportunity hub and like a queen bee requires the support of an industrial colony to manufacture machinery and equipment.

b. National Shipyards support fleet renewal needs of the Navy.

c. Contributes to national GDP, increases inflow of FOREX.


Korea shipbuilding is 8% of GDP. Japan’s automobile industry is 2.9% of GDP. India’s shipbuilding a meagre 0.000578% of GDP. In context, India’s pharmaceutical industry, ranked third largest in the world is 1.72% of India’s GDP.


International Shipbuilding Market

The market is estimated to reach around USD 200 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4.84%. While India is at bottom with 0.07% of world share, behind Philippines 1.5% and Vietnam 1%, however on the positive side, India has done well in taking care of its defence needs, with 37 of 39 Naval ships being built in India yards. Rear Admiral S Shrikhande researching on maritime as a Fellow at Wollongong University, Australia, says “Shipbuilding in India needs both, serious incentivisation and dogged determination and not harping on being a big ship breaking country. That Garden Reach shipyard has a $54 million order for merchant ships from a German owner, is a good sign.”


Were Shipyards of 20th century in Flight mode?

Prominent shipyards in India were built in the colonial period. Mazagon Dock 1774, Garden reach 1884, Hindustan shipyard 1941 to cater to British navy and merchant fleet needs. Cochin shipyard 1972, Adani Katupalli 2013, Reliance Naval and Engineering, Rajula Gujarat 1997 and others have limited capacity, hence a lot more work to do. Capt. Subhangshu Dutt (Singapore) a mariner and now a shipowner, says “GOI should hold hands in any collaboration till the marriage with the foreign entity is reasonably stable. He also suggests that “new shipbuilding sites should be given to existing successful shipyards since they have decades of experience and talent. Consortium of 3 or more parties may also be good idea”.


Shipbuilding GOLD

As per SPLASH report the demand for LCO2 carriers could reach 2,500 ships by 2050. As per other estimates, 40% of global fleet of ships could have wind propulsion by 2050. A surge in such vessels is due to an unparallel waves of decarbonization in the shipping industry. Demand for ships with ‘carbon neutral’ badges, such as Dual fuel, Wind assisted, Nuclear fuel ships, Hydrogen powered ships, Liquified CO2 (LCO2) carrier, is outstripping supply. A must in the ‘bucket list’ of every Shipyard. Pinning down a standard ROI in shipbuilding is not easy, but experts suggest it could range from 4% to 15% for the high demand ‘carbon neutral’ ships. While an LNG new build vessel could cost US$ 250 million upwards.


International collaboration

On China’s shipbuilding success story, Manoj Pandalanghat (Singapore) a mariner and ship owner believes that “China has around 50 active Shipyards. Each have a few large dry docks. In each dock two or more large vessels are built simultaneously. Thus, a single yard is able to roll out 2/3 vessels/month, 36 vessels/year and 50 shipyards roll out 1800 vessels/year”.


China could be a jaldi-5, but India needs a sturdy Mount Fiji. Besides technology, Japanese bring the most important hand baggage of soft-skills and culture, essential for success from keel laying to delivery. Maruti’s is a standing example.


Food for thought for New Delhi

a. Expertise: Hire Naval Architects and shipbuilding experts with current international experience.

b. Government assistance: Land, Financial support, subsidies and timebound clearances.

c. Monitoring: PMO should monitor the first 5 to 10 years till Shipbuilding takes-off on this long-haul flight to destination 2047.


India’s Shipbuilding is expected to grow to $237 billion by year 2047. On a back of the envelope calculations this works out to about 4% of India’s 2047 projected GDP of $ 5 trillion. While cars are driven on roads, however the Ministry of roads and transport has little to do with “Automobile manufacturing”. On a similar note, ‘Shipbuilding’ as an industry has little to do with Ports, Shipping and Waterways, thus it may be worthwhile to consider a separate ‘Ship-building’ wing in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways headed by a dynamic cabinet rank minister. Since 2047 targets are stiff and an uphill task, so in all probabilities, the officials in Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways are likely to push beneath the carpet, delays and failures of Shipbuilding with sweet success stories of “Ports, Shipping and Waterways” and if this does happen then India will not only miss the Shipbuilding bus of 21st century but a lot more from a national security and strategic perspective.


(The author is a Shipping and Marine consultant. Member Singapore Shipping Association and empaneled with IMO as a specialist consultant. Views personal.)

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