Manjit Bawa drew his inspiration from Indian mythology, Sufi philosophy, folktales and love legends. He usually stuck to his customary palette of rich Indian colours such as red, pink, violet, oranges, yellows and green to paint his vivid and flat background on which he created his rounded free floating forms. Nature, birds and animals occurred frequently along with the flute-playing legendary figure of Krishna and Radha, warriors and acrobats. His works also reflect the influence of Pahari miniature paintings and Kalighat Pats as well as his training in Serigraphy.