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Anjolie Ela Menon is one of India’s leading contemporary artists

What does spirituality mean to you?
The most logical to me is the idea of Atman, a force that fills the universe with us being a part of it. Intellectually it feels very acceptable and I have done some practices in order to realize it more --- funnily enough, mostly when I was young, and less when I grew older. I lost my mother when I was a child, and maybe I went on that quest as a way of searching for her. Among others, I meditated, I attended Swami Ranganathan Ananda’s discourses on the Gita, which influenced me a lot.

I was brought up in a family with a Brahmo background, which meant no idol worshipping or pujas in the house. So Karma Yoga always appealed to me more than Bhakti Yoga, as a path to fulfilment. Karma Yoga influenced me a lot in my approach to work, especially when it postulates that one should not get involved with the fruits of our labour. I have tried to practice it but truly it is very hard. Sometimes for instance, you are tempted to think of a work in an exhibition, hoping that such or such person would acquire it. Similarly, one is supposed to be detached from either blame or praise. Again, something very difficult to practice. But in the end, all religious quests are difficult to follow.
I also practiced Yoga Nidra, with amazing revelations that came thanks to it. It took me deep into the self, many forgotten and hidden things came back. It was both about opening up the past and connecting it to the present.

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