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Nawaz Modi Singhania & IAS Nidhi Choudhari Inaugurate Nandita Desai’s show The Painted Window Mumbai witnessed a memorable evening as multi-award-winning contemporary artist Nandita Desai inaugurated her fifth solo exhibition, The Painted Window, at Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery, Nariman Point. Curated by Praful Satokar, the exhibition opened to an enthusiastic gathering of art lovers, eminent guests, and close friends of the artist. The inauguration was graced by fitness expert Nawaz Modi Singhania and IAS Nidhi Choudhari, who formally opened the exhibition and shared heartfelt reflections on Desai’s journey and the emotional power of her work. The evening was made even more special by the presence of distinguished guests including noted theatre personality Raell Padamsee, philanthropist Dr. Aneel Kashi Murarka, art lover Shekhar Sawant, artists Satyendra Rane, Sangeeta Babani, art collector Mr. Ajoykant Ruia, lensman Himanshu Sheth, among others. The Painted Window is a simple yet evocative idea: the window as a space of memory, reflection, and connection. Through nearly 50 artworks created on vintage and handcrafted windows, Desai transforms everyday architectural forms into poetic works of art that invite viewers to look both inward and outward. Sourced from abandoned or demolished homes and complemented by handcrafted pieces made with repurposed wood, these windows carry with them a quiet sense of history, intimacy, and renewal. Speaking at the inauguration, Nawaz Modi Singhania fondly recalled knowing Nandita from her college days at St. Xavier’s College, where Desai was her Ancient Indian Culture professor. She remembered her as a young and engaging teacher who brought even the most complex subjects vividly to life, making them enjoyable and accessible for her students. She also expressed her admiration for Desai’s artistic practice, describing the works as beautiful, alluring, and a reflection of her remarkable talent, while wishing her every success for the exhibition. Nidhi Choudhari reflected on the emotional and universal significance of windows, describing them as silent witnesses to life’s most personal and shared moments… from dreams and conversations to joy, longing, and memory. She noted that what makes Desai’s exhibition especially moving is its focus on windows from ordinary homes rather than ornate or grand structures, allowing the works to feel simple, familiar, and profoundly relatable. She observed that viewers may find echoes of their own lives in these pieces: a grandmother’s home, a childhood memory, or a quiet corner of their own past. Drawing from her childhood memories of moving homes and finding solace beside windows, Desai approaches these forms as metaphors for balance between one’s inner life and the world beyond. Her use of glass colours, natural oxide polishes, stains, varnishes, wax crayons, shellac, oils, acrylics, pastels, jute, and hemp reflects her longstanding affinity for natural materials and textured surfaces. The result is a body of work that feels both nostalgic and fresh… grounded in material history, yet alive with contemporary expression. Nandita Desai’s The Painted Window will be on view at Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery, Bajaj Bhavan, Nariman Point, Mumbai, until 21 March 2026, daily from 11 am to 7 pm