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BY PREETI JABBAL

For Ninjit (Nin) Taneja, visiting artist from India, isolation in Melbourne became an opportunity for sustained work on a number of paintings and photos, proving yet again, that art has the ability to keep the human spirit alive.

When Nin arrived in Australia earlier this year, little did she know that she would be stranded for an indefinite period of time, unable to return home to her loved ones.

Her flight touched down in Melbourne only a few hours after the phase two restrictions were announced, and she went straight into a two-week self-isolation.

This meant she missed her own daughter’s court wedding. She watched the civil ceremony through Skype along with other members of the family, spread around the world, including her husband and son who were in New Delhi and unable to travel.

Surprisingly Nin was not fazed.

“I have travelled to many parts of the world but this trip will be forever etched in my memory, for all good reasons,” she told Indian Link.

Initially, for Nin, the self-isolation at her nephew’s house in Point Cook was a welcome relief from the hectic life in Delhi that she had left behind. She felt relaxed and enjoyed the peace and quiet of being on her own for 14 days. Her only regret was that she was unable to be part of her daughter’s special day.

However, once out of isolation, she was able to attend her daughter’s traditional wedding ceremony held at home. “We