As the base of my paintings, I use khadi, an initiative of Mahatma Gandhi to resist the oppressive and exploitative British rule. Gandhi urged Indian people to spin their own cloth in order to make the country more self-reliant in the manufacturing of cloth, an alternative to the imposition of machine-made fabric from the British Mills.

I make paintings with scrap fabric that I have collected over the years. Stitching small pieces in repetitive patterns to make textile works, I also embroider khadi to make paintings. I am drawn to hand work, like stitching and embroidery, as it is a signifier of domestic work, yet at the same time it provides women with skills that can be used for self-empowerment.

The process of making these textile works is very labor intensive. I employ women from low income backgrounds near my home in Delhi to assist in making them. For these women, stitching and embroidering together means not only employment but financial independence as well.