A young Shereen in the 1940s
Early Life
Shereen Indrani Raju was born in Bangalore, India during a pivotal moment in India’s history, as the country was on the verge of gaining independence from British rule. Her parents, Chandrakanth and Mirnalini Raju, raised her in this ear of significant transformation.
Shereen’s early life in India during a time of immense change, growing up in a newly independent country, a land rich with spiritual diversity and thousands of years of traditional culture played a significant role in shaping her artistic vision and creativity.
After completing High School, her ambition to become a Professional Artist was immediately discoursed by family elders. Instead she earned her Educational degree but providence played a remarkable role in her life. As a young fledgling artist, completing in a completely male dominated art world, her determination to become the greatest artist of her time, took her on a relentless journey deep into the matrix of life.
While earning her Educational degree in Bangalore, Shereen was selected as the only pupil of National Padma Bhushan award-winning artist Manishi Dey and painted in the Shantineketan traditions founded by Nobel Prize poet Rabindranath Tagore. Dey’s death nine months later spun the acutely sensitive artist into a relentless inquisition into life.
Shereen Miller, 1962
Paul & Shereen’s wedding in Bangalore, 1972
In 1967 Shereen was selected nationwide from 3000 applicants and 22 finalists for an art assignment at the Gulf Oil Company’s school in Ahmadi, Kuwait. There she met her husband and in 1972 married Texan born, fifth generation Paul W. Miller, an executive with Gulf Oil’s International Operations overseas.