I captured this contemplative top-view moment during one of my visits to the seasonal market, where I often go to study the changing local yield. As I stood there—bare feet and worn slippers meeting the textured ground—I noticed a quiet scene that stayed with me. While most people sold their produce in plastic covers, one woman had arranged wild berries beautifully on a leaf. Beside her, she gently fed a small chick with raw rice. That simple act of care and the earthy honesty of the moment inspired this work.

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My practice is rooted in the soil of the Deccan plateau, working with the raw, earthy wool of native Deccani sheep. Through wet and needle felting, I translate personal visions and

fleeting emotions into tactile forms. My forest-side studio shapes both material and mood; the changing seasons—from harsh summers to the rhythm of monsoons—influence the textures, colours, and narratives I create. A defining aspect of my work is the 52 natural colour palette that emerges organically from the sheep, their wool shifting subtly with grazing seasons, vegetation, and climate.

My practice is also a dialogue with the environment, informed by found objects and quiet stories encountered during daily walks. Central to my ethos is a deep, collaborative relationship with the Kuruba shepherd community, especially the women, whose indigenous knowledge continually enriches my approach. Journeys with nomadic tribes further shape my sensibilities, allowing landscapes, foods, winds, sounds, and dialects to flow into the very foundation of my art.

For me, Sonder is fundamentally embodied in the act of weaving. The communities I engage with are masters of the loom, creating intricate Kambalis (blankets). The profound essence of Sonder resides in the threads themselves: fibers sourced from distant places and manually brought together. This entire process—from retrieving raw wool from unseen villages, through rhythmic hand-spinning, to weaving it into cohesive form—reflects the interconnected human experience.

My artistic practice is a contemporary extension of this belief. By working with this wool, I consciously acknowledge the countless unseen journeys and hidden stories of Kuruba

shepherd women and nomadic tribes. My final felted works become tactile representations of these interwoven lives, bridging tradition with the present. They invite viewers to pause and recognize the complexity held within every thread—each strand carrying a distinct, irreplaceable universe of human experience, labor, and connection.