Tell us a bit about yourself and your passion for arts and crafts?

Well, I am a scientist — theoretical physicist to be precise, with a Master’s degree in physics from Patna, and a Ph.D in Mathematical Physics from Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. My career as an academician has given me the opportunity to work in various institutes in Kolkata over the last 36 years, and interact with some of the best brains in my field both within country and abroad.
Ever since my childhood I was always passionate about the laws of nature — how and why things work the way they do. For me, physics was not a subject to be learnt in class,rather it was the way of life, from the kitchen to the garden to the planets, stars and the fascinating night sky. And the credit for this goes to my dad, who was a professor in physics.
Parallelly, my interest in art and craft was always kept alive at home, by the beautiful knittings, stitchings and embroideries my mom and aunt used to engage in, and my dad was always there to encourage us all.

Could you share with us your journey of pursuing your passion for arts and crafts along with a successful professional life? What inspired you to undertake this journey?

Handicrafts always attracted my attention. I marveled at the skillful creation of beautiful items from scratch by amazing artisans. Throughout my student life, I pursued this hobby, finding it to be a relaxing escape from the stress of exams. When I enrolled in the Ph.D programme after my marriage, art and craft took a back seat. Although my husband and mother-in-law provided me with full support, I could hardly manage time for anything other than studies, in the initial days. Then with the birth of my elder daughter, I found a way to unleash my creativity. I would design and stitch dresses for her, and then do embroidery or applique work on them. This continued after my younger daughter was born. In fact, till the time my elder daughter was in class 10, they didn’t wear any dress which was not designed and stitched by me.

Then came a gap of 12 years, when my professional and family life took up my entire time. A heartbreaking event at my 50 years of age, suddenly changed the course of my life. The sudden and untimely death of a close family member shattered our lives. To cope with the acute mental agony, I picked up my paint brush after three full decades, trying my best to get some relief and be functional. Not only did I calm down, but my dormant passion was reignited, without any conscious effort on my part.

“Life is full of uncertainties, with its ups and downs, but my experience says that art has a tremendous therapeutic effect.“

What were some of the challenges that you encountered? How did you manage to overcome them, and what kept you motivated to persevere through them?

My full-time professional career hardly left me any time for pursuing painting. But the dormant passion had already become active. So, I would find time somehow. It would take me days, weeks, even months to complete a painting. And my family was always extremely supportive. Then came COVID. It was a game changer sure enough. I found time to ponder, to rediscover myself, to decide on what I wanted to do after retirement. Incidentally I had no formal training in drawing or painting. As folk art always fascinated me, I decided to learn about the customs and traditions of tribal people, one at a time, so that I could understand their ways of life. Thus started my Warli paintings from Maharashtra,
followed by Madhubani from Bihar, Saura from Odisha, Gond and Bhil from central India.

My father passed away during lockdown and I could not be with him in his last days, nor with my mother after that. It was at this time that I took up Mandala art. Practicing this art form would calm me down and release my stress. With COVID came a genuine problem — procurement of raw materials for painting. So, I started painting with coffee. Secondly, instead of throwing away discarded items, I thought of recycling them into works of art, which slowly became my strength. In fact, now I can transform any object into an art piece, like glass bottles, plastic containers, terracotta pots, stainless steel and wooden trays, melamine plates, miniature perfume vials, discarded wall clocks, wooden spatula, frying pans….the list is endless.

Can you recount a specific moment or experience that stands out in your journey of pursuing your passion? How did this particular moment impact you and shape your path moving forward?

Well, another thing I would like to mention here is my strong desire to learn clay modelling, right from my childhood. Before Dussehra, when the Durga idols were being created, my dad used to take me to watch the idol making process. I watched mesmerized at the craftsmanship of these idol makers, hoping against hope that one day I too would get a chance to do so. As a tribute to my father after his demise, I started fidgeting with clay and my first project was an 8-inch clay Mahishasura Mardini, totally handmade. Since then, I have made innumerable clay murals, finding immense pleasure in doing so.