 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
If I dream about my childhood, I hear the music and see the colours and beautiful textiles of Jaipur, where I schooled. Rajasthan definitely has a role to play in my work. This time, my show is based on Fire and Water… and you will see the desert colours.
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.
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