'We just need our own sunlight'

It was a rainy morning in Noida — the kind that turns the skyline grey and the city’s edges soft.

- ADITHI REENA AJITH

But inside artist Neha Sahai’s duplex, everything glowed warm and golden, framed by her plant-laden terraces and an open studio that seems to hold its own sunlight. Stepping in feels almost cinematic, like entering a woodland cottage somehow suspended inside a high-rise. It’s a self-contained world of sage-green wooden walls, books stacked along the shelves, and tables dotted with trinkets and ceramics — all telling the story of an artist finally at home after years of constant movement, and a long journey toward belonging.

Neha and her husband, Vaibhav Srivastava, moved to Noida after years of shifting between Mumbai, Gurugram, and Bengaluru. The apartment reflects their two distinct worlds — the top floor is Neha’s realm, a sunlit living room in sage green, three open terraces, and the studio that doubles as her refuge. Below is Vaibhav’s office and a moodier den of dark wood and deep blues. “I love trees, flowers, light—I find clouds magical,” she says. “Vaibhav likes calm, depth, and quiet. Together, it balances us.”

Feeling of home

The daughter of a retired forest officer, Neha grew up amid the woods — from Nainital to Mirzapur — constantly moving from one town to another. “Since I’ve always lived in the jungle, I’ve never really felt welcomed or had that feeling of belonging,” Neha says. Switching schools and adapting to new environments left her feeling out of place. Even in college at NIFT, she recalls feeling distant from her peers — almost invisible.