Untitled

I painted these pictures a long time ago. The woman in the blue sari is my aunt, whom I haven’t seen in many years. The other is of a picture I took during my time in India of a woman waiting at a bus station in my ancestral hometown. For me, these paintings help reconnect me to my Indian culture. This place is very far from home, and I oftentimes find myself being culture-sick. I miss the spiciness of Indian food, the smell of incense, and the warmth of my father. These works represent the Indian Maternal, a power personified by goddesses like Durga and Lakshmi and lived by my grandmother. In this time of difficulty on campus and in the country, art like this is what connects me to my roots and gives me the strength to see a forthcoming onslaught of change.