Urmila Devi Narsiah

Urmila Devi Narsiah was born in the south of Mauritius, in a small village named Tyack. She has completed her BA (Hons) in Fine Arts with specialisation in Painting at the University of Mauritius and her Masters in Fine Arts at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in India.

Her stay in Banaras also known as Varanasi has been a turning point in her life. Situated on the banks of the Ganges, Varanasi is one of the holiest cities for Hindus. Pilgrims and visitors come from around the world to explore its temples and culture. The constant smell of burning camphor from the rituals performed at the temples and the sound of Indian classical music drifts through the city’s streets. Death is the big attraction. Believers say that those who are cremated in Varanasi attain “Moksha”, or freedom from the cycle of life and death. The impact of this city’s culture is seen in her artworks where she reflects a lot about life and existence. She believes that the process of the painting is more important than the final work as for her it is a means to meditate.

Urmila is a trained as a teacher. She is currently working as an Art and Design Educator in a State college of Mauritius and she teaches 12 to 20 years old students to help them foster the same enthusiasm she has for Art and life.

Urmila is also very passionate about photography, cinematography and music. She has participated in a lot of musical shows and has also done some mural paintings as well. 

Urmila lives at St Pierre near the foot of Le Pouce mountain, surrounded by nature.