The awakening of the female shakti in its modern reincarnation has always held a profound fascination for Samita Basu. It was first mirrored in her work almost a decade ago and nothing, in the years since, has shaken her belief that the contemporary woman,her inner magnificance ignited by the arousal of kundalini shakti, grows more powerful, more self-sufficient and more resilient with each passing day. If anything, that belief is now stronger and reflected, even more compellingly, in her latest works being exhibited at the Jehangir Art Gallery.At heart Samita Basu is a storyteller, her work marked by a deep emphathy for the characters that dot her narrative landscape, particularly, her female protagonists. Through their eyes, she reflects upon the human condition and paints stories that are sometimes dark, sometimes brazen, sometimes vivacious and sometimes despairing but, in their telling and purpose, always truthful.

Her paintings capture snapshots from life, images of an ordinary woman's journey - from the depths of abuse, neglect and abandonment, through a labyrinth of doubt, fear and resentment, to a pinnacle of strength, self-sufficiency and independence and an extraordinary confidence in her own sexuality - a transformation fuelled by the recognition that only she can perform the multifaceted role that life has bestowed upon her : affectionate daughter, lover-woman, caring mother, diligent home-maker, confident breadwinner.