You got a Bachelors degree in Finance with a minor in Fine Art before enrolling in a Masters in Fine Arts. What piqued your interest in art and what’s the intersection with finance?
Early on in life, I watched my mother paint and get creative. It’s what piqued my interest. When I was five, my mom realised my keen interest in the arts and enrolled me for art classes in Chitrakala Parishath; and since then I have been doing art projects in my free time. But having seen my father, who was my role model as a businessman, I wanted to try my hand at that too. Hence, I followed his advice and went to Georgetown University, where I earned a finance degree and at the same time, collected enough credits for a Bachelor of Fine Arts. After Georgetown, my father guided me to join Pratt Institute to pursue my lifelong dream of obtaining an MFA. Having both degrees has served me well in the arts and in business, as I co-founded Taffard Fabrics, a high-end textile company.

How have you changed as an artist since your first exhibition?
My fascination with the elements of nature expressed itself early in my works. In the past, I was still including illustrative elements to create a quasi-narrative. My colours were monochromatic, and my works were an abstract representation of nature featuring leaf patterns, sunlight, the bark of trees, etc. Today my work is more colourful, dynamic and experiential and less representational. It is more than just about the elements found in nature; it is about the inspirational energy
of nature.