Prema went to India to draw inspiration for her work in drawing and applied arts, travelling to Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai. her purpose was to interact with other artists and people from different walks of life, and to understand the significance of colours in Indian culture through personal experiences. Her focus was on researching traditional tools and organic pigments used in ancient Indian art forms, and observing the making of handmade paper. She wanted her work to reflect these experiences – and to reflect herself on what had shaped her identity, and particularly her passion for order, control and organising her surroundings: so chance and order, control and chaos were the guiding elements of her work.

In Delhi Prema met visual artists, sculptors, dancers, musicians and a Jain temple priest, and collected information from all on what colours were preferred in their profession and why. She took part in a Miniature painting workshop and learnt the use of pigments, special brushes and gold leaf in that art form. The residency gave her time and space to absorb, reflect and react to the place. Although she had pre-planned her itinerary before her trip and packed some materials to work with, she did not attempt to control each day and its happenings. The place was driving the intention more than she. It was a time to meditate on what was most important to her and on her own identity.

She made drawings of the natural environment around her and recorded some sounds with the aim of using these shapes and forms in her work, which she is currently working, experimenting with colour and texture in enamel, print, collage and porcelain.