Shalini Passi always seems to have everything under control. Whether she is the breakout star of a Netflix reality show or walking through a high-end art gallery, she carries herself with a polished, ‘fabulous’ confidence. But the Delhi-based collector admitted there is one world that actually makes her feel small: the “deep ocean” of Indian folk art. It is a world she finds so vast that she is genuinely scared to dive in, fearing she might never come back out.
The ‘deep ocean’ vs the ‘baby pool’
In an exclusive interview with The Financial Express.com, Passi made a confession that most wouldn’t expect from a seasoned expert. She compares the world of modern art and design, where she spends most of her time to a “baby pool.” In contrast, the traditional crafts found in India’s small villages are like a “deep ocean.”
“Traditional forms of art or folk art is something which intimidates me,” she admitted. For her, it isn’t just about the visual beauty; it’s about the thousands of years of history and skill that have never been fully written down. She’s afraid that if she starts studying it, she will get completely obsessed.
“I think it’s like how you are scared to jump into the deep ocean… I don’t think I will ever come out because it’s endless,” she said. It is this fear of the “endless” that keeps her at the water’s edge, looking in with a mix of respect and nerves.
An artist at heart
This intense connection to art didn’t start with a checkbook; it started with a paintbrush. Long before she was a famous collector, Shalini was a young girl in Delhi obsessed with painting and architecture. She was more than just a hobbyist, she actually topped the All India Painting category in her CBSE exams.
She desperately wanted to go to a professional art college, but family expectations got in the way. “I wanted to go to art college, but I couldn’t because my parents felt I would get married,” she revealed. But she didn’t let that stop her. She took classes at Triveni Kala Sangam and spent her time watching masters like Subodh Gupta, learning exactly how they moved their brushes to create life on canvas.
Collecting for the love of the stroke
When she eventually started buying art, her reasons were purely emotional. While many people today treat paintings like stocks or buy them just to match their living room curtains, Shalini bought them to be close to the “strokes” she loved.
“It was not like how people collect now for investment or for decoration,” she explained. She wanted pieces by legendary artists like Ram Kumar, MF Husain, and Manjeet Bawa in her home so she could study their technique every single day. To her, these weren’t just expensive items; they were private lessons in creativity that she wanted to live with.
Bridging the gap
Today, through the Shalini Passi Art Foundation and MASH India, she is turning that lifelong passion into a way to help others. She uses her influence to bridge the gap between the famous old masters and the raw, young talent of today.
Her goal is simple: she wants to make sure art isn’t seen as something only for the rich. By supporting art therapy and helping emerging talent, she is trying to make sure the “real art” of India whether it’s in a fancy city gallery or a hidden village gets the respect and documentation it deserves.
