Trained at the J.J School in Bombay, Prabha came to Mumbai from Bela, a village near Nagpur. At first Prabha experimented with different media and themes, but contemplative women in oils were to become her hallmark. Her paintings cover a wide range of subjects, from landscapes to social issues like droughts, hunger and homelessness. B. Prabha held about 50 exhibitions since 1956, both in India and abroad. She was also the recipient of several prestigious awards.

Did you always want to be a painter? No. Actually I dreamt of being a singer. I had a good voice. I was also good at painting. My elder brother cautioned me that I couldn’t master two subjects in one lifetime. So I had to choose between painting and singing after my matriculation. And that was very difficult indeed. After a lot of introspection I decided to opt for painting. I thought, main apne hatho se paint karungi aur kano se gana sunugi.

What was your inspiration to take up painting?
There were not too many women painters in India at that time. There was only Amrita Shergill. So I set out to create another Amrita. I respected her a lot. I also wanted my paintings to reach all parts of the world. It was my ambition to be a renowned painter based in Paris.

How did you think of coming to Mumbai and studying at the prestigious J.J. School of Arts? How was the experience? I first studied art at Nagpur School of Art. Then I wanted to test my ability as a painter. So I came to Mumbai and enrolled at the J.J School of Art where I got a scholarship to specialise in mural painting. The atmosphere at J.J those days was like a big family. We used to help each other. The dean bought panels especially from Khadakvasla for us to make mural paintings. That helped us to make huge murals.

Tell us something about your struggle period? Struggle has taught me a lot. I came to Mumbai with only Rs 2 and 11 paise. I had to sell my only piece of jewellery and a finger ring gifted by my grand mother to go to Kashmir on our honeymoon. I remember we had taken along with us a stove and few utensils to cook in Kashmir. After coming back to Mumbai we didn’t have a place to stay. So Vithalji’s friend who had moved to a bigger house gave us a room to stay in. He was kind enough to lend us a few essential items. Madhuri Ben Desai and Soali Batliwalawala gave us a place to put up our paintings. They never charged us a penny. They said you could pay us back when you start earning. Do you remember your first show? I put up my first show as a student, much before I got married. I exhibited 100 paintings. Can you imagine who was my first customer? My first customer was the great scientist Homi Baba. He bought three paintings.

It’s said that an artist is born. So where does that leave art schools? Yes it is true that artists are gifted. But it is also important to go to an art school for training. In a school environment you prosper because of the healthy competition. You learn from other students. This way you can also rate your talent vis-à-vis the other students in your class. It’s like a race. How far can you go? If you sit and paint at home you will obviously like your own paintings. It’s only when you look at the world that you will realise where you stand. And that’s important. What are the most important qualities for a painter? First and foremost you have to be a good human being. Then you have to have an appreciative nature, to be able to see the beauty around you. You have to be sensitive. There is so much beauty around us. Just look at the sun, moon and the stars. One life is not enough to study and appreciate all this beauty.

Why is the central theme of your paintings always woman and their sufferings?
I have seen many women and even studied them closely. And I have yet to see one happy woman. Women can create beauty. Here I am not just talking about the urban woman but even the women in our rural areas are extremely creative. Women crave for happiness and appreciation all their lives. Moreover they have so many emotions to portray.

What is your advise to youngsters?
Just enrolling in an art school and passing the exams is not enough. You have to practice from day one. Haath saaf hona chahiye. The more you practice the more you will be spontaneous in your work. If artists don’t work even for a month their hands become stiff. Like musicians and singers indulge in regular riyaaz, even artist like painters and sculptors have to do regular riyaaz.

You should learn to draw human beings in different actions. Anatomy is very important. Your paintings should reflect emotions. Tonal value in a painting is very important. If the tonal value in your painting is not correct then your painting will look flat. You have to be able to highlight your subject in the painting. Or else it will get lost in the surroundings. You should be able to feel the distance in the painting.

- Nivedita Jayaram Pawar