Forbesganj is a small agricultural town in Bihar on the border of Nepal in the Himalayan foothills.   My Forbesganj paintings tell the tales of everyday life inside my family home and in the village outside. Some that I witnessed and some I was told over the years. I found an old school drawing book and some paints while my family and I recovered from Covid. I painted after forty years. Here are some of my watercolors.

A hair salon popped up on the street opposite my home during the Covid lockdown. It was just a small wooden box with magenta curtains, but somehow became the hub of much activity for a few hours everyday.

It was a world of open gates. Their was no door to lock. Roses grew on the wrought iron frames. A mouse made a nest above. Ladybirds and snails inched in undisturbed. Squirrels scampered by as we walked in.

We all got Covid. But we were lucky. We were together and we had a garden. As we lived through the unbearable times, we saw new life spring up in the garden every day in the garden. It healed us and gave us hope that what dies is born again.

Praise for My Forbesganj Garden 

 Garden As Refuge by Gloria Steinem

 A feminist storyteller, who wants to paint hope-Modhurima Sinha, The Telegraph 

 An Art Show That Feels Like A Dream Homecoming, Saikat Mazumdar, Outlook

Watercolor and Gouache on paper. 

Enquiries: art@ruchiragupta.com

https://issuu.com/ruchiragupta/docs/myforbesganjgardensngls

Here is a sneak peek into a handcrafted book of all the paintings introduced by Gloria Steinem. Email art@ruchiragupta for pre-orders of limited editions.