What began as a small hobby, soon became a ray of hope for her. Today, 10 years later, Manju Kumar cannot imagine life without art.

With the help of her mentors, Rajesh Srivastava and Priti Pandey of the Delhi Blue Pottery Studio, Kumar spent almost a decade perfecting this vocation.

The art process is long and intricate, it demands patience. Fortunately, that is one thing she possesses a lot of. She calls the process meditative, an exercise in introspection that is hard to find elsewhere.

Even at the age of 77, as her back aches from the physical toil the process asks of her, she refuses to let go. "I will do this till the day I die," she says. The body can't be happy until the mind is.

 

All the proceeds from sale of Kumar’s art go to charity, she wouldn’t have it any other way. If there is one thing her journey as an artist has taught her, it is that we can find peace and happiness in even the most challenging of times.