A pioneer of modern Indian art, Khakhar was born and raised in Vadodara. He taught at the Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU in Baroda and was a pivotal figure in the influential Baroda Group. Primarily a painter, Khakhar also worked in clay at the Center. He was one of the first painters to experience a residency at EKWC - The Ceramic Work Centre in the Netherlands, and returned to India with enthusiasm for the possibilities of the medium and a commitment to see similar facilities develop in Vadodara