Samudra Manthan is Harsh Hingu's final-year project and the culmination of more than ten years of artistic practice. Developed through months of research, meditation, and conversations with spiritual teachers, it draws inspiration from the ancient Indian story of the churning of the ocean by the Devas and Asuras. For Harsh, this is not simply mythology but a living philosophy that reflects the constant tension between opposing forces, revealing that transformation is only possible through struggle, patience, and faith.

Rather than illustrating the story literally, Harsh uses it to explore the emotional, psychological, and spiritual experiences that have shaped his own life. The project became a meditation on uncertainty, resilience, surrender, and the search for balance, where the act of churning mirrors the continuous process of becoming, both as an artist and as an individual.

The work consists of two large-scale paintings, each measuring 240 × 190 cm, alongside a hand-stitched soft sculpture produced in India using muslin cotton. Over 140 days, Harsh developed the paintings using acrylic paint and soft pastels, repeatedly writing the Sanskrit Om across their surfaces. Red and blue became the defining visual language of the work, representing the Devas and Asuras as complementary forces whose relationship is built not on victory or defeat, but on coexistence, interdependence, and balance.Scale became essential to the project because Harsh believes spiritual stories should be experienced rather than observed. Through immersive paintings, layered surfaces, and sculptural forms, Samudra Manthan invites viewers into a space where colour, texture, and symbolism become a quiet act of contemplation, encouraging them to reflect on the forces of creation and destruction that exist within themselves.