I began painting when I was 10 years old. We lived in a beautiful house overlooking the blue waters of the Fateh Sagar Lake in Udaipur. The garden was laid out in terraces with lovely flowers and blossoming trees. I had an intense urge to capture that on paper. The art teacher from the local school came to give me lessons. He taught me to appreciate form and colour and study the changing moods of the sky and the lake.

I painted in watercolours, which are more difficult than oil. These paintings were mostly of flowers, of which there was an infinite variety. They were so fascinating that I used every colour on my palette. Some of my paintings contained landscapes and a couple of on-the-spot sketches of temples. I then switched to oil after 20 years. Oil is a very good medium and gives me plenty of scope to make brilliant shades and give a rich texture to the painting. I held two exhibitions back in the late 1980s, at AIFACS Gallery in New Delhi. I chose to paint the Himalaya, as I love the mountains.

My husband served in the Indian Foreign Service and thus we kept hopping across the world. There was a long break in my pursuit of painting—after I got married and raised my son and daughter—but I revived my passion for the art when we were posted in Rome, from 1972 to 1975. Seeing the work of the old masters inspired me.

Painting was not my only passion. I had also begun writing poems at quite an early age. I had the opportunity to meet Sarojini Naidu, whom I greatly admired, at a family friend’s house in Madras, when I was nine years old. I showed her one of my poems and she smiled and said, ‘Keep writing.’ It was a long time ago but it inspired me to continue writing although I did not pursue it professionally. I went on to be a gold-medallist English literature graduate from Sophia College, Ajmer.

Last year, when I read about The Time of India’s ‘Write India’ contest, I gave it a shot. I did not win. Including the entries for the contest, I have written 14 short stories, all of them unpublished writings.

About two years ago, I was diagnosed with glaucoma, and although I continue to paint, I cannot spend as much time as I would like because it strains my eyes. This is a big blow to me because time really flew past when I painted without flinching and I enjoyed playing with colours.

Ageing does not interfere with pursuits that are dear to me, but my poor vision has definitely hampered it. At this point, the problem with my eyes prevents me from giving play to my visual imagination. Through all the challenges I have faced, I have had unshakeable faith in a higher power that is always by my side, helping, guiding and comforting me through all the tough patches, telling me, ‘This too shall pass.’

As a painter and writer at 87, I can only be grateful for the opportunities given to me to fulfil my interest. To the young, my advice is that when following your dreams, don’t forget to look at the beauty of the world around you. So put away your phone and your laptop and listen to the sound of silence, for a thing of beauty is a joy forever. In your quest for material comforts, spare some time to look at nature’s many splendored gifts, which are a true source of happiness.

As I wrote,

“Don’t let setbacks discourage you, for remember
Life’s battles don’t always go
to the stronger or faster man
but sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.”

—Kausalya Rana, Delhi

Photograph by Radhika Rana
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
November 2016