It is amusing how music always seems to reach people before people can get hold of it themselves. Music manages to slip into the background of car rides, hiding behind one’s own parent’s hummed notes. And before people realize it, music becomes part of their lives without them ever naming it for themselves. For instance, Swapnomoy Chowdhury, a nineteen-year-old singer and guitarist studying for a Bachelors degree in Music in Mumbai, was already singing before he knew what words were.

A Childhood Shaped by Movement and Music

For Swapnomoy Chowdhury, being in constant transition was the only way to grow up. Born in Bengal, he lived in Patna, Guwahati, Kolkata, Nagpur and Gurgaon, before ending up in Mumbai. Where some children might feel like aliens in each place, Swapnomoy was learning to embrace them all with equal fervour, an ear for different sounds and cultures. He considers himself to have two homes, but his music is influenced by all of these cities.

He began discovering music at an early age, surrounded by a music-loving family. His mother was educated in the Bengali tradition at home and became the first one to teach him. His father listened to Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Manna Dey while growing up; therefore, the walls of the family apartment were covered in songs. When Swapnomoy turned three or four years old, he started mimicking the movies without understanding any of their meaning, singing along to Bihu tunes on the walk from the bus stop to his classroom in Guwahati and writing songs in a language he didn’t know. This was the first indication to his parents that the child was bound for music lessons.

The Turning Point 

A guitar and a video on YouTube became the trigger for a significant transformation. After mastering his first song, Neele Neele Ambar, on the guitar, he found himself feeling unstoppable for a few days. But then he saw an incredible performance by Ed Sheeran and John Mayer at the same venue and it was game-changing. Seeing Mayer improvising live and manipulating the guitar as if it were breathing, Swapnomoy had only one thought: What sorcery is this? The following two years saw him practising for five to six hours daily straight after the 10th standard exams. This kind of dedication appears to have never let him down.

Swapnomoy likes nothing better than listening to music. He listens to it all, the Indian classical, Western classical, jazz, blues, bluegrass, metal and underground rap. He is not selective about it. He simply sits down with his guitar and starts playing until something comes out. Music does not come into his life at intervals; it is always there, forming part of the background of his entire day. “At times, it doesn’t seem like a job,” he comments, “but more like a very intense obsession.”

The Journey So Far

From 2019, Swapnomoy has been releasing songs as covers online. At some point, his lack of consistency gave him an image of being an underground musician. Then the pandemic came along and it made him decide that he should post at least weekly. In doing so, he shifted his focus to Instagram and got the chance to perform before bigger audiences. A highlight in his journey thus far was working under Manan Bhardwaj, a music director for some Bollywood movies.

His one regret about his career journey thus far is that it took him longer than it should have to realise that he could become an indie musician. For most of his career, it was all Bollywood and Indian classical music. That was until a friend of his, Aditya Pahuja, exposed him to a Nagpur band called Baithak in which musicians played their own original music. Watching them perform, something dawned upon him: he could write his own songs.

On Vulnerability, Inspiration and Big Dreams

In Swapnomoy’s case, vulnerability is not a highly poetic concept; it’s a moment when you put your work out into the open that isn’t quite finished, something that still requires development and is nonetheless shared with the outside world. As the artist himself puts it, “That slightly scary moment is very much my vulnerability.” It’s clear that being vulnerable comes easily to him, considering the openness with which he speaks of things he has to learn himself.

His favourite artists include John Mayer because of his incredible magic with the guitar and Arijit Singh, who pours his soul into each melody he plays. Swapnomoy dreams of one day sharing a stage with such people and not being some insignificant addition but being an integral part of the performance. He would like to play with bluesmen, jazz players, Indian classical music artists and bluegrass bands.

Just Getting Started

He is nineteen and has yet to believe in creative block. If he feels tired, he takes some time out to read, play, surf the internet as any normal person would. Thoughts keep coming, he assures, regardless.

It is not so much as his ambition; Swapnomoy has plenty of that too. But rather it is the dedication with which he looks at music, the seriousness of one who realises that talent is just a beginning. One cannot have anything worth having without putting effort into it. It’s just the beginning, he says.

And it really is.

There is a certain type of bravery that doesn’t make a big statement. It doesn’t start with a big idea or a daring proclamation. Sometimes it starts with a piece of waste materials, a calm afternoon and a long-overdue thought: “itna padhkar bas rukna nahi hai… mujhe apni pehchan banani hai.” That moment of reckoning belongs to Sunita Meena , an artist, mentor, influencer and the creative force behind Kala-e-Khaas. 

The Girl Who Always Made Things

Although Sunita was raised in Gujarat, where her father was stationed, she was born in Rajasthan. After completing her education there, she went on to earn a B.Tech in Electronic Engineering from the revered NIT Surat, a path that appeared to be well-planned from the outside. 

However, Sunita was more drawn to the experimental as opposed to the expected even as a young child. She enjoyed working on science projects, creating things by hand and figuring out how everyday objects could be transformed into something more.

She always had an urge to create, as though it was a part of her core being. “I was always curious and creative,” she remembers. “I enjoyed trying new things. Even though I didn’t realise at the time that it would eventually become my identity, that creative habit stayed with me.

When Life Paused, Art Began

Like many women, Sunita’s world shifted significantly after marriage and the birth of her son. The ambitious engineering graduate found herself navigating the rhythms of home life and somewhere along the way, the noise of the outside world faded. So did, for a while, the sound of her own ambitions.

When Sunita had her first child, he became her world. She didn’t have enough courage or the time to step out and try something different. Somewhere along the way, the commotion of the outside world subsided as the aspirational engineering graduate navigated the rhythms of home life. For a while, so did the sound of her own aspirations. 

So when COVID hit, Sunita gained something unexpected, time. 

She began small. No business plan, no elaborate studio, no official training. Simple DIY projects driven by curiosity that make use of waste materials that are already lying around the house. Her only hope was the quiet satisfaction of creating something out of nothing. Soon, people became aware of it. Orders began to come in. And Sunita, who had been completely self-taught, started considering it seriously.

Building an Identity, One Artwork at a Time

What came next was a path of intentional, gradual development. Sunita increased her skill set, learned new artistic mediums and started producing unique artwork for customers in India and later abroad. 

Her art struck a deep chord because it was based on the idea of turning the ordinary and discarded into the lovely and significant. Her community evolved along with her body of work. 

People wanted to learn from her in addition to purchasing her artwork. Thousands of pupils have benefited from Sunita’s mentoring, which has helped them realize their own creative potential.

The Quiet Pressure of Expected Paths

Sunita is open about the path she took to get here. In many families and in many parts of India, success is still defined by such narrow parameters: a good degree, a secure job, preferably in the government sector. It was the path set out before her.

“Deep inside, I always felt I wasn’t made for a routine job,” Sunita says. But feeling something and doing something are very different – especially when the people around you, however well-intentioned, expect otherwise.

Her family’s initial response had been kind, good-natured and illustrative: “theek hai, jo kar rahi hai usse khushi mil rahi hai, mann laga hua hai” which translates to “it’s all right, she’s happy with what she’s doing and that’s all that matters.”

“I completely understood that,” Sunita says, with no rancour. “It came from care, not doubt.”

Yet as the years went by, something changed. Her reliability far outweighed any opposition. Her development made concepts tangible. And the tolerant understanding in her family’s eyes had transformed into something quite different.

“Today, when they see my journey and growth, that feeling has transformed into pride,” she says. “And that, to me, is everything.”

On Success, Originality and Slowing Down

What is success to Sunita? Ask her and her answer is not as easily quantified as one might think.

“Success is having the courage to step out of the expected path and choose something different and then having the strength to stay committed to it,” Sunita says. “It is when your work starts speaking for you… when your passion not only gives you recognition but also makes you self-dependent.”

A Message That Goes Beyond the Canvas

There is something Sunita returns to again and again in conversation , the lives of other women. Women who balance multiple roles, who set their own dreams aside quietly, who wait for the “right time” that never quite arrives.

To them, she speaks with the authority of someone who has lived the same hesitation.

“Your dreams matter just as much as your responsibilities,” she says. “You don’t have to choose between your home and your identity. You can build both.”

She is equally direct about the tools available today: “Use social media fully. If you don’t know how, learn it. There is no better platform to showcase your talent. Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Start with what you have.”

To the individuals who are starting out and uncertain if their decisions will be understood or supported: “In the beginning, people may not understand your path. But if you stay consistent and believe in your work, things change. Your work starts speaking. Your identity builds.”

 The Bigger Picture

From a home in lockdown to a name known across borders, Sunita Meena’s journey is, at its core, a story about what becomes possible when a person decides to stop waiting.

It is a story about waste materials turned into art. About a pandemic that, for once, provided something in return.Her degree didn’t define her, but her discipline did. 

 Perhaps most of all, it is a story about the particular quiet triumph of becoming, unmistakably, yourself.

“Today, when they see my journey and growth, that feeling has transformed into pride,” she says. “And that, to me, is everything.”

On an Indian railway platform, life rarely pauses. Trains arrive late, chai is poured endlessly, strangers become temporary companions, and stories quietly unfold in the gaps between departures. For artist Bijay Biswaal, these in-between moments are not fleeting, they are the very substance of his art.

Early Life and First Encounters with Art

Born in a small village in Odisha, Biswaal’s journey as an artist began long before galleries, exhibitions, or international recognition entered the picture. In a place where “art culture” was almost non-existent, creativity had to invent its own tools. As a child, he drew on the mud floors of his home using charcoal taken straight from his mother’s chulha. Cardboard boxes from his father’s medicine shop became canvases. With no access to art supplies or formal training, Biswaal learned instinctively, drawing wherever he could, with whatever he had.

“I was always drawing,” he recalls. “On the sand, on dusty cars, on the floor, on paper, it didn’t matter.” Even as a schoolboy, drawing class was his refuge; he often finished not only his own work but his classmates’ drawings too. Long before he had the language to define it, he knew art was not a hobby for him, it was an impulse, almost a way of being.

Despite this lifelong pull towards art, Bijay Biswaal did not immediately become a full-time artist. He worked for the Indian Railways, a demanding public-facing job that required long hours, night shifts, and emotional resilience. Yet, even in this structured, often exhausting routine, art never left him. If anything, it followed him more insistently. After long shifts, he would return home and paint late into the night, unable to leave a canvas half-finished. During phone calls, he sketched absentmindedly. Painting was not something he “made time for” — it was something that occupied his mind continuously.

Bijay Biswaal and his Style of Art

Interestingly, Biswaal never experienced what many artists describe as creative block. “If I’m not painting, I’m sketching. If I’m not sketching, I’m observing,” he says. The world around him: people, spaces, journeys, constantly offered material. The only frustration he recalls was during periods when family responsibilities limited his time at the easel, not because ideas had dried up.

Over time, Biswaal began to define himself as a realistic, representational artist, someone who paints what he sees but infuses it with quiet narratives. Markets, villages, railway stations, platforms wet with rain, travellers waiting with tired patience, these scenes recur in his work, not as spectacle but as lived experience. His background as a railway employee offered him a unique vantage point: he was not a distant observer romanticising travel but someone deeply embedded in its rhythms.

The Railway Platform as a Turning Point

The turning point came almost by accident. Around 2010–11, while waiting for a delayed train at a rain-soaked platform, Bijay Biswaal noticed a lone woman sitting on the platform as puddles reflected lights like liquid mirrors. With hours to spare, he painted the scene in watercolour right there. Later, he recreated it on a larger canvas in his studio. When this painting was displayed at the India Art Festival in Mumbai, it drew immediate attention and sold.

That moment brought a realisation: his everyday surroundings, especially the railways, were not merely backdrops to his life, they were his artistic language. From then on, Biswaal consciously began painting railway-centric scenes. The response was overwhelming. His works travelled widely on social media, resonating with people who recognised themselves in these familiar yet tender portrayals of Indian travel — a mother and daughter sharing luggage, tea vendors and passengers from different faiths sharing space, strangers coexisting briefly before moving on.

Biswaal often describes railway compartments as “a miniature India.” They are spaces where religion, class, region, and language temporarily dissolve into shared experience. This sense of fleeting community became central to his work, a quiet celebration of everyday coexistence.

Recognition followed, including international exhibitions and awards. But one moment stood apart: in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Bijay Biswaal on Mann Ki Baat, acknowledging him as a railway employee who painted India’s railways with dedication. “It was my Oscar moment,” Biswaal admits. The validation strengthened a decision he had been contemplating for years. With the support of his wife, he opted for voluntary retirement and embraced life as a full-time artist.

Life as a Full-Time Artist

Today, Biswaal travels extensively across India from Varanasi to Konark, from small villages in Odisha to bustling cities, painting on location whenever possible. He believes that being physically present matters. “You can find a thousand images online,” he says, “but you cannot feel the place unless you are there.” For him, on-location watercolour painting is about capturing the soul of a place, while larger mythological or cultural narratives, drawn from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Indian temple architecture, take shape later in the studio.

There is also a spiritual dimension to his practice, though he resists defining it too rigidly. When painting, he forgets everything else, worries, noise, time. “I am completely present,” he says. “That calm, that absorption — maybe that is spirituality.”

Despite his openness to observing different art forms, Biswaal remains committed to realism. Abstract art interests him intellectually, but realism, for him, carries a human touch — imperfections, texture, personality. “A painting should look like a painting,” he insists. “You should recognise the artist without reading the signature.”

Bijay Biswaal’s Advice for Emerging Artists

As someone who has built a sustainable career in art — something still considered unconventional in India, Biswaal is acutely aware of the struggles young artists face. His advice, though simple, is firm: work on your skill relentlessly. Avoid shortcuts, resist the urge for instant fame, and respect the discipline of drawing and observation. “Every sincere artwork has a buyer,” he believes, “but sincerity takes time.”

In the end, Bijay Biswaal’s story is not just about art, it is about patience and persistence Between platforms and puddles, He reminds us that sometimes success comes not from chasing the extraordinary, but from truly seeing the ordinary.

Caricature Art in India is widely misunderstood. It is a style of portraiture that exaggerates a person’s distinctive features for a comic, satirical or grotesque effect. A caricaturist aims to capture the subject’s personality and essence through these exaggerated drawings. A caricaturist’s goal isn’t mockery, but meaning — to capture the soul of a subject through playful exaggeration. This article is a deep dive into Ritesh Gupta, a young artist and painter, founder of the Creative Caricature Club.

Born in 2006 in the restless heart of Mumbai, Ritesh Gupta found his world not in textbooks but in colours. While other children found themselves focused on grades, he chased the feeling of creation, the quiet satisfaction that comes when a blank page begins to breathe yellow, blue and green. What began with school crayons slowly shaped into a goal, an ambition that would define his life. Today, as the founder of the Creative Caricature Club, Ritesh continues to balance learning and leading — growing as an artist while working on live caricature events across the country.

Origins: Middle-class Mumbai, Discovering Art

Ritesh grew up in a middle-class family where art was seen more as a hobby than a future. He wasn’t particularly inclined toward academics in his early years, but things changed when he began participating in art competitions from Class 3. By the time he reached Class 6, he had already made a conscious decision—art would be his chosen path. Ritesh learned that drawing and painting weren’t mere forms of expression but a language through which one could observe, feel, and communicate with the world. From then on, he began preparing seriously for drawing and painting examinations, laying the foundation for his artistic journey.

After class 10, Ritesh formally took up the arts stream. He joined the renowned Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai and is currently in his third year of a painting degree. During his journey he undertook meaningful projects: he created work for the municipal corporation, Indian Army, Indian Navy and other civic bodies. He also contributed to the “Mann Ki Baat” initiative of the Prime Minister and created numerous “Swachh Bharat” paintings, including an intense week in Delhi when his work was featured.

How did Ritesh Gupta Start Caricatures?

When the lockdown struck, Ritesh found himself with more time yet fewer opportunities—but also with possibility. He discovered caricature on social media and began to experiment: taking people’s photos, creating caricatures, posting on Facebook and Instagram. What began as a personal curiosity soon became a public voice. At the end of 2021 he did his first live caricature session in Dadar. That live-event experience boosted his confidence: the anxiety of public creation gave way to the thrill of engaging an audience. A big help was his friend who had been in the caricature field for long. Observing his quick wit and calm, he was able to adopt the same stance too.

In 2022, Ritesh formally founded the Creative Caricature Club. His aim: not just to be a content creator, but to build a strong portfolio for artists. Within 2-4 months the page gained significant followers thanks to consistent process and artistic focus.

Creative Caricature Club: Structure, Vision, Style

By 2023-24 the Caricature Club had made impressive progress. The team expanded (in 2024 Ritesh hired India’s best caricature artists), events spanned all over India (corporate, social, weddings). He himself handles Saturday & Sunday events, while the team covers others.

What sets Ritesh’s caricature apart is storytelling. He says: “I focus on the bond, the relationship. We don’t just do physical caricature in that sense.” He especially loves doing caricatures of older couples (60-70 yrs): capturing the love, the bond, the lived experience. This is the philosophical thread: caricature isn’t mere exaggeration, it is life distilled and celebrated.

In a caricature session of 5-6 minutes (for one person) or 10-11 minutes (for a couple), Ritesh follows a thoughtful process: he observes the faces for one minute, notes distinctive features, watches how the couple interact (who speaks more, what their rapport is), then creates a mini-story on paper. Exaggeration is purposeful, not random. The aim is to reflect humor, love, character.

Thus his work remains personal, relational, celebratory rather than partisan. His philosophy: art is a spiritual journey — sādhanā. He adds: “Art is a big and most important part of my life.”
And he perceives creative work as a mirror of his mental, physical well-being. Ritesh insists that as artists we must build strong sleeping schedules, clean diet, and regular exercise to keep our mental and emotional palate healthy.

Ritesh Gupta on Balancing life, Goals and Growth

Though still a student, Ritesh balances multiple roles: his painting degree, running the Creative Caricature Club, live events, team-management, travel, workshops. He follows a disciplined routine: Monday–Friday for painting academy/study, Saturday–Sunday for events; meanwhile gym and diet are his priorities. He believes: only when you keep your mental health and physical well-being intact can your creativity flow.

His goals are ambitious yet grounded: buy a house in Mumbai, travel abroad, explore places and cultures. Moreover, he wants toinnovate in caricature so that when his subjects see their caricature they laugh immediately, create an unanticipating, humorous and memorable moment for them. The vision for his club is to raise awareness that caricature can be a personalised, meaningful feature in weddings and functions across India.

Reflections — Art as life, Caricature as Connection

Reading Ritesh’s journey one senses a philosophical thread: art as life, life as narrative, caricature as connection. He began with child-like affinity for art which grew into bigger ambitions, one that was at a tug-of-war with his middle-class background, a liking his parents weren’t so supportive of, which eventually progressed into formal education, and earning through it, built a team, and now seeks to touch the human bond in his drawings.

He says: “Whatever I think observe, see, and think in my subjects, I reflect that through caricature.”
It’s a subtle statement of artistic authenticity. The creative act becomes not just drawing lines, but listening to life, seeing relationships, capturing essence.

In a world where art is often commodified or seen as a side hobby, Ritesh reminds us that the true artist holds both the eye of the observer and the heart of the participant. The caricaturist becomes a storyteller, the paper becomes a mirror, the people become countless narratives.

Words of Advice for all Aspiring Artists and Dreamers

For Ritesh Gupta, founder of the Creative Caricature Club, the path is still unfolding. The house in Mumbai, the travel, the expansion of the club—all are milestones. But the deeper horizon lies in how his art will continue to reflect life’s relationships, how his caricatures will make people laugh and remember, and how the club he’s built will enable others to discover their voice. His journey is a reminder: when you answer the soul’s whisper early, and walk the path with discipline and love, art becomes more than a career, it becomes purpose.

To all the young and aspiring artists, Ritesh offers simple yet profound counsel:

1. Work on what you like. Passion is the root.
   
2. Participate in competitions; learning comes from doing and showing your work.
   
3. Stop worrying if there is a “future” in this field — just start working hard in your chosen direction; time will prove you.

He emphasizes fundamentals: “If your portrait fundamentals are strong, then you’ll be able to caricature. Caricature is advanced than portrait.” He encourages sketching everything around you, building observation, then moving into caricature.

Art is considered the most supreme form of expression that is counted as very cathartic for good reasons. It doesn’t require you to possess any form of language skills, which allows you to express yourself spontaneously without any hesitation. Furthermore, the fact that you can make something beautiful out of the chaos in your mind only makes you love yourself in all its imperfections. Thus, art not only allows you to express and explore, but also uplifts your soul and your self-worth. It helps you carve a space for just yourself and that’s something Swarnima Telang did with her artworks in @_itsahappyworld_. Let’s catch up with her!

Breaking The Ice With Swarnima Telang

Born in Vrindavan and spending most of her childhood in Agra, Swarnima Telang holds a unique and special significance in her heart that shaped who she is today. After completing her B.Tech degree, she started working at an IT company. She has always loved art since her childhood days. One would think she would lose touch with it over time with college and work, but somehow she kept finding her way back to it. In 2015, while she was still working at an IT company in order to manage her stress, she relied heavily on art, which soon became a ritual and later turned into an inevitable part of her daily routine.

Swarnima Telang: Art As A Process

For Swarnima Telang, the ultimate goal in life is to fill your life with happiness and fulfilment and that is something art does for her, unlike anything else. Throughout her entire journey as an artist, there were a lot of things she learnt along the way in terms of skills and she is positive that she will learn way more with each passing day. Her creative process, as she puts it, is quite “simple and intuitive” as she draws her inspiration from everyday moments such as the time spent with her family, meaningful conversations and small life events. 

Whenever an idea or concept enters her mind, she mentally sorts through it, gathers inspiration from various sources and finally lets it all out on her Instagram page for her community to see and get inspired by. The process, though, seems simple, is actually a lot more complex, as the majority of the work is done mentally as she mixes and matches various elements, finds the right colour palette for the mood of the concept. And the end result is just marvellous.

According to Swarnima Telang, vulnerability in art means, “It’s the courage to create something that reflects who you are at your core—knowing that others might not always understand it, or even like it. Yet you still share it, because it’s real.”

Swarnima Telang expresses how her work ethic is very consistent, self-driven and deeply intentional. But despite being consistent and driven, she does encounter creative blocks now and then. During that time, she tries to engage herself in something else, like reading books, etc., until the spark of inspiration is ignited within her. There are a lot of artists she takes inspiration from, but it’s Ruskin Bond whose writings give her direction and peace.

Art As A Lifestyle

Swarnima Telang sees the world from the point of view of an artist, as one that is curious, empathetic and celebrates the amalgamation of beauty and complexity. Using art as a lens to explore human emotions, connections and stories, she emphasises how art helps her make sense of the various layers of human emotions and inspires understanding, provokes thought and brings people together by revealing a shared humanity. 

Her artworks mostly talk about: 

• Appreciating little things in life 
• Beauty in simplicity 
• Finding calm and serenity in your regular and everyday life. 
• Gratitude for things and blessings that often go unnoticed. 
• Positivity and happiness 
• Quirky takes on Society from a woman’s point of view

She believes in establishing a strong connection between the artist and their work and putting in effort when no one’s watching, as for her, it’s about personal integrity and pride in what she creates. For her discipline and passion go hand in hand. Further, Swarnima Telang immensely values quality and authenticity but always leaves room for growth.

Sharing her work on social media at times does make her fall prey to chasing after what’s trending or what’s expected, but those are the times she reminds herself why she started doing art in the first place, for herself and always finds her way back home.

Telang believes that everyone has their own unique talent; it’s just a matter of discovering it. She believes that innate talent can only take you so far; it’s hard work, consistency and dedication that help you get to the finish line. It’s something that is highly reflected in her journey so far.

Message for Young Artists

Lastly, Swarnima Telang leaves us with some advice for the future young artists: “Make sure your art is a true reflection of who you are, something that brings you joy and aligns with your beliefs. Don’t just chase numbers or trends. Be intentional and responsible with what you create, because your work might be influencing more people than you realise. Share ideas you genuinely understand and believe in. Create from a place of authenticity, not imitation ,don’t do something just because everyone else is doing it.”

If you are feeling too stressed and overwhelmed with your day-to-day life and wish to take a break to enjoy in the little things that life has to offer, check out @_itsahappyworld_!