Rahul was never attracted by the commercial side of art. Despite having a BFA degree in Applied Arts from Government College of Art, Sector 10, he has not made much use of his degree except for making occasional greeting cards. "Though professionally I am qualified to take up jobs at advertising agencies, I do not want to be cooped up a room," Rahul says, adding that he would rather pour his soul into a canvas. Rahul is more into serious paintings and he draws inspiration from nature. "I take inspiration from nature," says Rahul who is fortunate to have a vast patch of greenery opposite his house, from where he draws a lot of ideas.

He attributes his success to his mother Balwant Bakshi, who has given him the strength to go on. "One of my popular series on the female form was based on the personalities of mother and sister," says Rahul. His first solo exhibition, First Step, which was held in 2000, established him as a professional artist. But even before that is campaign for blood donation for the Blood Donation Society, Chandigarh, had won him accolades. His second solo exhibition The Hope, which was inaugurated by art historian Prof B. N. Goswamy, was proof that he had the capacity to draw out the beauty of simple things and present them aesthetically.

His next project is going to be another series of portraits, this time of his favourite heroes and sports personalities. "I want to draw Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar" says Rahul. He likes making cartoons too and would also like to take up illustration work for books.