Pushpa Kumari的作品沿袭了印度文化的传统。她的绘画世界是用线条表现亲密，繁衍，神灵以及神秘主义。她的墨水画看上去很像版画或是雕刻，但通常一个小小的手误就会让她几周的努力付之东流。与其说她在作画，倒不妨说她更像在通过绘画修行。

Pushpa Kumari已经四十多岁了，她决定把一生都奉献给绘画。在一个婚姻通常被安排的国度——印度，Pushpa Kumari至今仍保持单身。相比于婚姻，她更重视自己创作的自由和独立，也将她的全部精力都投入到绘画之中。因为她选择了非世俗的生活方式，因此她必须在一个保守而传统的社会中努力强化她的生存能力，因为无论在观念上还是生活方式上，她都是旁人眼中的异类。

Pushpa Kumari出生在一个有着艺术传统的环境中，她居住的周围总有各种复杂而精致的图像或绘画装饰的墙面和楼梯。这些图案并非仅仅是装饰，他们更是一种弥萨罗地区教授孩子们印度教神秘传统的方式。

Pushpa Kumari继承了她祖母的艺术能量与热情。她的祖母曾是印度第一位在纸本上实践印度教的墙绘的女性。但她的祖母并没有一味在绘画上履行宗教义务，而是开创出一种个人化的方式，将传统与现代的元素巧妙的集合。

Pushpa Kumari的作品尺寸巨大，她通常会先描绘印度教神秘主义的图案，然后再在之上构建自己的创意。观者可以在作品中感受到其中人物的情绪和状态，乃至去猜想画面中发生了怎样的故事。

Pushpa Kumari的作品多数描绘的是与女性相关的主题，她揭示女性的身体与精神创伤。画面中常会出现女性怀孕或是分娩的场景，亦或是复杂而多样的情绪变化。毫无疑问，Pushpa Kumari在西方人的眼中，是一位不折不扣的女权主义艺术家，她的作品也在抨击印度世俗社会中对女性的歧视与不公。西方的策展人与批评家将Pushpa Kumari视作印度当代艺术受到西方影响的代表人物，但其实Pushpa Kumari的艺术是原发于印度根深蒂固的传统之中的，她代表的其实是印度社会中一直反抗和不妥协的呼喊。

Tulsi Drawing（图尔西绘画）是Pushpa Kumari最具野心的尝试，它由八幅作品组成，高7.3米，长3.65米。这件作品耗时三年完成，描绘的是印度神秘主义中的女性变化到图尔西植物的过程。整件作品富有诗意与精神性，同时也充满了暴力和性。

Painting #1: (shown above) King Dambh’s wife was practicing severe penance on the banks of river Gandhaki. Pleased with her efforts, Brahma granted her the boon of a child. A “twister” appeared from the skies and settled in the womb of the king’s wife. The child was very strong and imposing in the womb itself. The child was named Jalandhar. But the child’s head was in the shape of a shell (“shankh”) and thus came to be known as “Shankhchud” in the world.

Painting #2: Shankhchud grows into a young man. Brahma asks him to go to the Badri jungles to marry the ascetic lady Vrinda who is meditating there. She is the only woman worthy of Shankhchud and has been practicing penance in the Badri jungles for many years.

Painting #3: The daughter of the calm Dharmchhaj, Vrinda is lost in meditation in the Badri jungles. Shankhchud reaches there and introduces himself to Vrinda. He also recalls an incident from his previous birth. Vrinda says,”My lord, I am praying here so as to get you for a husband. In the Krishna era, you were my husband Sudama. Owing to Radha’s curse, you have been born as Shankhchud. In this life too, I wish to be your wife.” They get married!

Painting #4: After the marriage, Shankhchud gets busy in ruling his kingdom. Power goes to his head and he turns into a proud and arrogant man. One day, he sees Parvati, Lord Shiva’s consort (Shankar) and begins to desire her. Seeing this Lord Shankar orders his army, led by his devout followers Bhadrakali, Nandi, and Gandharva, to capture Shankhchud. They try hard but owing to Shankhchud’s excessive strength and power and Vrinda’s holy powers, they cannot capture him.

Painting #5: Ages pass, with Lord Shankar himself battling Shankhchud but he is still not defeated. It was then Brahma says, “Shankhchud’s life is safe because of Vrinda. Till Vrinda’s love is pure, Shankhchud cannot die.” Lord Vishnu is roped in to help defeat Shankhchud.

Painting #6: Vishnu goes to Vrinda in the guise of Shankhchud. Vrinda was thrilled to see her husband. They embrace and make love. It is while making love that Vrinda began to doubt that this is her husband. She says, “You do not make love like my husband, who are you?” Embarrassed, Vishnu appeared in his true form but her love had been corrupted. At that moment, Shankar kills Shankhchud with his trishul.

Painting #7: Vrinda is crying. She shouts, “What wrong have I done to you that you turned years of my penance to nothing in a matter of seconds through treachery? I do not wish to live now. You have killed my husband. I, an unfortunate woman, curse you–you have been treacherous and rubbed soot on my face so you shall turn into a black stone that lies in water and is eaten by insects.”

Vishnu said, “I am your culprit. I wish to take you as my wife to repent for what I have done. You should give up this dirty impure body by bathing in the river Gandhaki that comes out of Shankar’s hand and take the form of the holy Basil. The world shall henceforth know you as the Holy Basil (Tulsi). Your mere touch will make sure that there is clean air for all living beings. Your husband Shankhchud shall live on this earth as a conch shell, the sound of which shall cleanse the air and which shall be used for making offerings to the God.”

Painting #8: The River Gandhaki flows out from Lord Shankar’s hand. Vrinda renounces her body in the river and appears in the form of a Basil plant. This plant is famous still today. From the religious point of view, it is considered holy. Ayurveda finds in it a cure for many ills. It is for this reason that people from all religions, caste and different walks of life like to grow this plant in their homes.

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