Apal Jain

  

Volume 10 | Issue I | March 2026

Neerja Modi School ’26

Jaipur, India

  

I have been interested in art since I was quite young, but I became interested in its social effects through debating for the Indian national team. Topics like the ethics of preserving colonial architecture or the best method to determine an artistic canon showed me how art carries communal legacy and memory, and also remains deeply integral to people’s identities beyond just entertainment. When I learnt how artistic journalism was used in India to document imperial atrocities, and how Mexican muralists were revolutionaries who rejected American control in their country, I was not only inspired but also began to wonder how artists’ identities influenced their response to colonialism. This manifested in my research project to understand how artistic identity developed through different stages of imperialism. The feedback I received from editors at The Schola was incredibly detailed and helped me refine my manuscript greatly. Beyond that, their advice will definitely carry with me in any future research endeavour I undertake. Apart from research, I also love to paint and am passionate about creating social support. Most of my paintings are inspired by personal observations, explored through literature, philosophy, and cultural theory, and I generally experiment with acrylic paint, wool, and papier-mâché. I founded Project Saharaa, through which I assist Jaipur’s slum residents in registering for housing schemes, and illustrated a domestic-violence awareness resource book, Damini.