By the age of three, Anaida had begun to demonstrate a precocious need for self-expression, a combination of singing and painting. It was her desire to possess the sun that resulted in her first abstract, which, when completed by other colours after the yellow felt-tip pen ran dry, educated her early on about the value of initiative with abstracts. Anaida's father signaled his tacit approval, educating her similarly about acceptance, by framing this early work: her first critic, and patron.

It was nonetheless Anaida's musical talent that brought her commercial recognition and success: by forteen she signed with a professional music label, shot one of India's first Indipop videos, and released India’s first single. Over the next decade, Anaida became India's most readily identifiable pop diva, touring the length and breadth of the country and taking her music to its borders, and beyond.

Nonetheless, her commitment to art remained, albeit unspoken. By 16, she was using watercolours, and her themes remained naturescapes, feline forms, birds and a fascination with the distortion inherent to dew drops. Anaida also experimented with poetry and calligraphy, and these influences manifest themselves in her leather carving pieces today, paying homage to Omar Khayam, Rumi and Sufism.

Interestingly, the artist's versatility is evident not only in her cross-platform expression, but also her use of multiple media within each discipline. Anaida uses watercolours, oils and ink, chalk and coal, leather, sculpture, stained glass and even Persian miniatures as means of expression, which, from still-life to portraits, from carving to abstracts, are as varied as the media she selects.

Anaida's recent foray into inks signals a holistic spiritualism, where aloneness clarifies. The artist chooses ink to mirror the simplicity of an uncluttered realisation, where sometimes the sum of parts is greater than the whole, serving as a self-referential analogy: that spiritualism is beyond the readily obvious, and exists only in anamorphosis.

What remains consistent across all media and subjects, however, is the artist's desire to possess, to preserve the moment, a literal if instinctive interpretation of carpes daiem that remains to the viewer at once new and old: like all truthful art, remaining steadfast and yet presenting its viewer with insights anew. This, the artist believes, is the essence of her art, and the essence of all who look to it.

Anaida has a unique perspective on the use of such several and seemingly diverse media: that this is inescapable. The insights afforded by art mean an alteration of consciousness that manifests in an even greater need for expression: “ars gratia art” is indeed: that the reward of art, is art

Anaida has a unique perspective on the use of such several and seemingly diverse media: that this is inescapable. The insights afforded by art mean an alteration of consciousness that manifests in an even greater need for expression: “ars gratia art” is indeed: that the reward of art, is art

From her first Art Catalogue

An artist at heart, she is an accomplished painter of oil, watercolor and chalk paintings, as well as intricate Persian miniatures on glass and leather carvings. Here one understands how her art is concerned with rhythms and harmonies, just like in her songs. Her journey, however, is not so easily charted. She is a restless soul. And her art reflects this in the number of different media that she works on: from oils and acrylics on paper and canvas, to works etched out on leather, stained glass miniatures, as well as water-colours, pastels and charcoal. But what interests me most in her leather-works is how if forms are her concern in her oils, acrylics and water-colours, it is content that strikes one in her leather etchings: the poems of Omar Khayyam, Rumi and other Sufi poets are presented in the style of Persian miniatures but on a medium that is very different. This is still an experiment with portraying the lyrical quality of these poems with the form as merely an instrument to communicate it. These works portray the element of melody in her visual art. And put together, we unravel experiments in rhythm, harmony and a melodious rendering from a singer well-versed in these, now presenting them as visual expression.
Suneet Chopra
-Art Critic, Writer

Melody on canvas
Not only she is a good painter, she also excels at the art of calligraphy. Much like her personality her work has many layers. The most interesting part of her exhibition are the carvings and unique calligraphy work done on leather. They are one of its kind pieces that highlight detail and accuracy.
-The pioneer. Delhi


Soulful strokes, Etching a healing (he)art.
-The times of India