"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time". These words by Thomas Merton, a Catalan Trappist monk of American nationality, who was also known for his writings and social activism, will resonate with anyone who has experienced good art. They will also say that the art we surround ourselves with, often affects our mood and reflects our personality.

Which is why perhaps it's no surprise that singer Sona Mohapatra's Santacruz home is lined with folk art. "I collect contemporary Indian artists and a lot of folk Indian art. I think our folk arts are terribly undervalued and taken for granted, and yet they create work of startling beauty, complexity, intricacy and insight," she says. As she poses next to one of her favourite pieces, The Red Haired Lady by Asit Kumar Patnaik, who is from Odisha, one which also resonates deeply with her alter ego, LalPariMastani, she tells us about the first piece she bought.