A brush with destiny

Celebrated contemporary painter Anju Dodiya always knew her daughter Biraaj was creatively inclined. But when Biraaj elected to pursue art, how different her journey would be from her own was something Anju hardly could have fathomed. 

- VAISHNAVI NAYEL TALAWADEKAR

It's the night before Diwali and Anju and Biraaj Dodiya are on opposite sides of the world. They appear side by side on Zoom; Anju muted in Mumbai, Biraaj unmuted in New York. "I'm usually with her when she logs into these meetings," says Biraaj as her mother tries and fails to unmute herself. Ten minutes later, Anju's microphone has learned to behave, we've all had a hearty laugh and I've whispered a word of thanks to the tech gods, although neither mother nor daughter seems fazed by the caprices of technology.