When you walk through a landscape inundated with melancholic chunks of concrete erected in the name of the Holocaust Memorial, it evokes a sense of trepidation and a sensation of claustrophobia. On the other hand, when one steps into 'Monet's garden' you get soaked into the exquisite beauty of nature's bounty. Thousands of other tourists walking besides, magically disappear and one gently escapes into a paradise of sublime colors.

In 2016, I travelled to Berlin and Giverny just to experience the surge of contrasting emotions of existence. It was like a treasured stroll in the world of myriad emotions. The birth of this series of work, lies in the crevices of these memories. I witnessed nature's creation on Monet's canvas, which moved me deeply. Fragile streaks of pinks and whites, on emerald canvases was mesmerizingly captivating. I was awestruck!

Once back in Mumbai, Monet's transcendental world seeped into the emptiness of my canvases. The exuberant shapes and poised hues of ethereal waterlilies, its ability to stand unblemished in the midst of muddied waters enamoured me. It inspired my world enabling me to emboss them on the surface of my canvas.

I thought it would be a temporary phase, but with the onslaught of the global pandemic when time stopped still, and with it our frail lives... Treacherous lockdowns, intense loneliness, grim despair, ambiguous future reminded me of how I felt while walking through those mundane grey concrete blocks in Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. So, I sought solace in Monet's water lilies. It compelled me to create tender, fragile, and serene Lily ponds inside the four walls of my studio. They gave me tranquility in this gloomy, desperate phase

My hope is that these blooms of varied colours rejuvenate our saturated mind, purify our souls, and bring us inner peace.