The concept of MokshaShots was first introduced in a solo exhibition in Mumbai in January 2008. A MokshaShot, by my definition, is a taste of the Sublime. I had this idea that since we probably won’t get to full-fledged Moksha in this lifetime, we can get a glimpse of it. Each individual can make his own MokshaShot out of anything s/he finds fulfilling - art, a chocolate brownie, a film, a vacation or a tequila shot.This series entitled ‘Liberation through Consumption’ refers to the consumerist myth that fulfillment (Moksha) can be found through the purchase of a product or an experience promised by it. It is a suite of satirical works that critique Indian consumer culture. Indian culture has always been multi-layered and complex. On the surface, urban India is a bundle of contradictions and I try to see it as it is. In the last 5 years, we have experienced rapid social, economic, political and cultural changes, which are yet to be completely assimilated. Urban India has bought into the glossy images, but is discontent and looking for substance and I wanted to address these issues in my work. Indians like to idolize - people, commodity and consumerism included! To satirize this penchant for veneration, I’ve created deities called MokshaPets. There’s MokshaBuy, the Consumer Goddess. Her mantra is ‘The Incredible Lightness of Buying’. Her insatiable appetite for all things consumable is manifested in her multiple hands that hold weapons of mass consumption. MokshaBum is the Thinker and Armchair Philosopher. He was first created 20 years ago as part of my comic strip. He never gets up, moves little and expounds a lot. Everything just comes to him. (For some people, life is just perfect!) P.S. We don’t know if he has a girlfriend ;) Mokshasura is the Necessary Evil. His mantra is ‘I’m a Chocolate Flavored Evil’. Arguably indispensable in today’s economy, he’s a small (if not large) part of us all. Reverence is the politically correct image of self-righteousness. His posture symbolizes the tenet ‘See no Evil, Hear no Evil, Speak no Evil and No Sex.’ This means he’s always truthful, saintly and eminently worshipable. His mantra is ‘Karmic Brownies are tax free.’ Irreverence is politically incorrect. This means he is also always truthful, funny, not so saintly and thus a lot of fun! His mantra is “This is not the life I’d ordered.” Kundalini, the snake symbolizes the Seeker. He is latent energy said to be at the base of the human spine. As it rises up the spine via the seven energy centers, the seeker is said to have made progress on the spiritual path. When it leaves the upper most energy center on the crown of the head, the Seeker is said to have attained Moksha. The Third Eye is center of Intuition, situated vertically between the two eyes. It’s also the center of the brightest ideas -MokshaShots was one! The Eyeball is Awareness itself. Alert, but often misinterprets what it sees, it’s a favorite scapegoat of Maya (Illusion). It symbolizes Perception - it’s everywhere. Each character has an interactive session which examines one aspect of consumerism. MokshaBuy's session is about Ecommerce, the Reverence session is about consumption of spirituality, MokshaBum's session is about consumption of media. The Irreverence session is about consumption of art and the Mokshasura session is about consumption of emotion.