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Birds of a feather…
Turning coloured dust into liquid to form intricate patterns on grooved gold may sound like a magpie’s luxurious daydream but in fact this is one of India’s oldest jewelry making techniques called meenakari. Meenakari is the Hindi word for enamel and is often found on the back of another ancient jewelry form called kundan that layers diamonds of gold…
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5 Unconventional Dos for first time India travelers
A discerning traveller chooses a travel destination based not just on the location or weather but based on the overall experience. Of course you could be fully satisfied with the fabricated experience courtesy of Thomas Cook but at some point you may question the integrity of it all and wonder aloud, ‘is this the real…
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Textile Narrative: ‘Mata-ni-Pachedi’
Mata, Shakti, Devi – These names evoke vivid images from mythology. The Chitara families of the wandering Waghris tribe of Gujarat visualize Goddess’s many manifestations as hand-painted or block-printed images on textiles, surrounded by stories from myths, epics and folk traditions. ‘Mata-ni-Pachedi’ translates literally to ‘that which enshrines the Goddess’. The historical evidence of this…
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A Divine Glimpse
Etched in my mind are childhood memories of jostling a determined crowd to get a glimpse (jakhi) of Shivji Bawa, better known as Shreenathji, eight times* a day during my trips to Nathdwara, Rajasthan. I grew up in a devout vaishnav family and a yearly visit to this auspicious shrine town was a given. Shrinathji is a form of god Krishna manifest as…
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Madhubani – More Than Just A Picture on the Wall
Originating in Bihar, Madhubani or Mithila paintings were once drawn on walls and doors of homes as a gesture to delight God. As the time progressed, the art graduated to other mediums like cloth, hand-made paper and even canvas. And today, it has become widely popular, owing to its unique designs and rustic look. The figures…
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Textile Discoveries
Excavations at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro have unearthed bone needles and wooden spindles, clearly suggesting that homespun cotton was used to make garments. In fact, fragments of woven cotton have also been discovered from these sites. Historically renowned for it’s textiles, India’s woven love story dates back several centuries. The first mention of textiles in India…
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The Butchered Art of Mirrorwork
For those familiar with an Indian flea market, the sight of a gypsy woman clad from top to bottom in beefy silver jewelry and a bright, ornate costume is probably not a new one. She may be found hard-selling here wares ranging from heavily embroidered shoulder bags, bedspreads or table runners. There’s truly nothing fascinating…
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Heart of Glass – Thewa
I’ve been looking around for some new jewelry. I began thinking about different mediums and started contemplating glass. Glass has the ability to take on the robust colour qualities of gems like emeralds and rubies, yet it is unfortunate that most glass jewelry you can find has a uninspired flea market feel to it. In…
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We are Twins.. Almost..!
When we saw these gorgeous portraits of Indian royalty and these intensely ethnic rooms, we couldn’t help play match! So here you go, on a royal rendezvous, with these perfect sets of twins, well almost..! Whoever says men can’t carry off pink, hasn’t seen this handsome portrait of the Maharaja of Jodhpur yet. And the room’s just…
Storytellers of Wonder 