When you stop the lines, somehow you are killing them. When they come out of the square, it's a different flow of energy.

Twenty-five years after her first show in this city, Paris-based artist, Sujata Bajaj, returns to Mumbai, with a new series spewing fire and water. The SNDT gold medallist, who did her PhD on Indian tribal art, talks to Maria Louis about positivity, Pune and Paris

Sujata Bajaj

One day, I met Razaji and told him I would like to interview him for my PhD. He immediately agreed, then asked if I paint. When I said yes, he wanted to see my work. My paintings were in Pune – so the next day he was in Pune! When he saw my work, he said: ‘Why don’t you come to Paris?’ He told me I needed the exposure to find my own identity and language. So I tried for the French Government scholarship in 1988… and I got it!

My soul is so Indian. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would live outside my country. But I can always have India, I have such close ties here. And if I could have this other world with somebody who loves me and I love him, that is the best deal. Our daughter, Helena, speaks four languages – Hindi, English, French and Norwegian.

My love for Paris is unconditional. We live in the artistic heartland – Montparnasse – and our home is near the Picasso square with a sculpture by Balzac nearby. There is something burning in Paris which keeps artists alive…and I don’t want to go far, because I have to feel these French flames.