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A for Ajrakh: Fascinating stories about India’s block prints
You see them all around you – those complex geometric motifs in red and blue, the floral vines, the Mughal jali, the deep, earthy colors and the symmetry of patterns on fabric. But do you ever wonder who makes these block prints with exotic names like saudagari, dabu or Sanganeri? Do you know how the dyer…
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Maheshwar’s Raksha Bandhan Connection: The Ties That Bind
Raksha Bandhan is conventionally known as the festival commemorating the love between a sister and her brother. Each year this love is renewed and strengthened by a symbolic gesture – the sister ties a piece of thread – a rakhi – on the wrist of her brother. The thread represents the brother’s commitment to protect…
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Punjab: an Amalgam
Famous for its scenic landscape, mustard blooms, ancient fertile lands, religious diversity and gregarious people, Punjab, despite it’s beautiful mountains and rivers was not always as blessed! Punjab has always been the center point of civilizations due to its strategic location as the entrance to the Indian subcontinent. Foreign invaders like the Persians, Greeks, Scythians and Kushanas came…
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In a Qila
How Qilasaaz is effecting change in the lives of women artisans of Mahmudabad. The backbone of the erstwhile world of feudal privilege and opulence was always an invisible army of skilled craftsmen/women and artisans. They ensured a splendor and an aesthetic richness that was often breathtaking. Their efforts affected every aspect of life then and…
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Resurgence of ‘Shakti’: Shamlu Dudeja’s Kantha Crusade in Bengal
Each piece of work is a labour of love, in its patterns, the story of simple women, their joys, sorrows and aspirations. The origin of Kantha can be traced back to the Buddhist era when devotees had to seek alms for their daily survival. The ‘bhikshus’ often received old fabrics which they layered and tacked…
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Ganjifa: 16th Century Traditional Playing Cards of India
The Story of Ganjifa In June 1527 Babar, founder of the Mughal dynasty, sent a unique gift to Shah Hasan, a close friend from Sindh. It was an exquisite set of Mughal Ganjifa round playing cards, each hand-painted on ivory and inlaid with precious stones. Little did he know that he was going to spark…
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To Alwar and Back in a Heartbeat
The yellow of her odhni, of the mustard in the breeze, of the unabashed sun. It is the color that follows you through the dusty roads that lead out of Delhi and towards Alwar, the ‘Gateway to Rajasthan’. Sitting to the north of the capital city Jaipur, this erstwhile princely state now beckons weekend free-wheelers…
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Raja Ravi Varma and The Royal Gaekwad Collection
The Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum, housed within the Lakshmi Vilas Palace in Vadodara, India, carries some of the most unique European and Indian art works, that were collected by Maharaja Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad III during his numerous trips out of India. The Museum was constructed as a school for the Maharaja’s children. It was established…
Storytellers of Wonder 