Among the many hats Ashok Vajpeyi wears besides being a poet, a columnist, critic and a cultural connoisseur, is running the foundation eminent artist Syed Haidar Raza left behind. Vajpeyi is credited as the moving force behind setting up of Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal, Mahatma Gandhi Hindi University in Wardha, Maharashtra and has also been the chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi (2008-2011). In this freewheeling interview with Nidheesh Tyagi for Abir Pothi, Vajpeyi reflects on works of Raza Foundation, his long association with Raza himself and Swaminathan, his take on young and emerging artists and also about the current cultural scene in India.
