This is the most important painting I’ve ever created.

The tiger in this piece is falling—hurtling down from the heavens, but he is not going down without a fight. Encased in a luminous, protective bubble of vibrant colours and swirling shapes, he doesn’t just face adversity—he transforms it. He sees the beauty in the struggle, even as he descends.

In Indian culture, the tiger is not just a majestic animal—it is a sacred symbol of strength, courage, and sovereignty. As India’s national animal, the tiger stands for resilience and pride. For many communities, the tiger is revered as divine, even worshipped as a "Tiger God." In Hindu mythology, the fierce goddess Kali rides a tiger, mastering chaos and commanding untamed forces. That energy lives here too.

This painting is my way of transposing the trauma of cancer—14-hour surgeries, radiation, morphine, years of recovery and lifelong pain—into a new kind of power. The physical toll was immense. But even greater was the fear of the unknown.

Through this work, I reclaimed that pain. I forged it into something meaningful. I discovered that art isn’t just something that looks good—it can do good. It can heal. It can transform fear into strength. Grief into beauty. Despair into resolve.

Never go down without a fight.
Be the tiger.