‘While aligning what one does with one’s nature, the circumstances could likely prove to be rather chaotic, for it is in the chaos that the relentless spirit finds the condition to create a new reality for the soul. Life is transient so is reality. One reality can give birth to another. It is in this pursuit that one thrives.’ This was an entry from my notebook in 2024.

Last year, I was in Delhi during the month of January to witness the Delhi election. Fate had other plans and soon I was catching up with a friend before heading on an unplanned trip to Amritsar. I was seeing my friend’s pastel work on a small sketchbook that I had picked up while exploring art by visiting various galleries in Kolkata. I began scribbling on one of the pages of this sketchbook that I had gifted my friend. It was very relaxing to let my thoughts and emotions discover forms through lines. When I went back to my hotel room that night, I began scribbling on the hotel stationery. I spent three nights at the Golden Temple, retreating to my room only to freshen up and rest. As I soaked in the energy of the temple, I continued to scribble in a notebook I had bought. Something within me kept me going. The

lines and forms I was scribbling began changing. And so was I.

I was back in Bangalore after briefly spending time in Jodhpur and was responding to a mail from a well-wisher. “Here is an entry from my notebook (it explains what I love doing the most) - ‘The present moment is of importance to the one engaged in creating. The past holds little value and the future exists in imagination. Therefore, the most meaningful pursuit is to imagine the creation of the present while living in it.’ I have decided to focus on creating and let everything else be secondary.”

Scribbling lines was helping me observe my thoughts, emotions, and my actions while interacting with the world around me. The lines kept exploring new forms and changing. Life has no consistency and art reflects that in its purest form. As I scribbled every other day I began realising that time is fleeting and so is everything that comes with it. Most of our suffering as humans and as a society comes from holding on to life through greed, power, anger, guilt, happiness, sadness, and fear to name a few ways.

I began to realise that our own suffering makes us oblivious to how the society we live in contributes to our lives. By contributing to society in our own ways we can help create purpose in our lives while holding ourselves to ethical standards of living. Gandhi believed that self-reform is the best form of politics. I experienced and understood why he believed that.

I began focusing on ways I could contribute to society and that led to experimenting with my ways of living. Inspired by Sikhism and Hinduism, I accepted the challenges that life had to offer while keeping my faith in nature and performing my duty. This led to a renewed sense of energy and helped me build resilience. I began enjoying dealing with challenges as it enhanced my creativity while also contributing to my evolution as a human being.

My convictions about and commitment to ‘learning on the road’ had been reaffirmed. I had coined this phrase to describe how the roads allow us to see reality as it is without filters. This phrase emerged while cycling from Bengaluru to Mumbai in 2018 as part of a campaign I had initiated to understand the issue of bullying and sexual abuse, initiating dialogue and conversations along the way.

In many ways, my education has been ‘on the road’. I have learnt by observing life around me, interacting with people, and exploring what interests me in my own way. Each experience gives birth to another and learning occurs while engaging in this pursuit. Reflecting and expressing myself through art helps me form and reform my perspectives. Experience helps me evolve.

‘Anubhav’ is a reflection of my experiences through art. Each piece of art Narrates its own story. This isn’t an exhibition but a journey. And it will travel to different places. I have begun this journey in the city of Bhubaneswar as this is where I was born.