Culture
Delhi Art Week: Revitalising art scene in Delhi
April 10, 2021
On the off-chance you enter Dhoomimal Gallery located in Connaught Place, one painting, Our Politicians (facing the camera), created by BC Sanyal is sure to grab your attention due to its quirky yet authentic portrayal of Indian politicians of the 1960s. One of four politicians i...
Read More
Miniature artists’ take on life
March 30, 2021
Gautam Bhatia and Shankar Bhopa’s attempt to represent the uncertain progression of life reflects beautifully in the series of paintings and sculptures created by them, the otherwise in-animate paintings appear to be brimming with life. The architect’s latest creation, in...
Read More
Delhi’s Tamilians celebrate Panguni Uthiram fest...
March 28, 2021
As most residents of Delhi prepared to celebrate Holika Dahan on the eve of festival of colours, Holi, hundreds of Tamilian devotees gathered at Mariyamma temple in Pantnagar in south Delhi to celebrate Panguni Uthiram, a festival commemorating the marriage of several deities inc...
Read More
Daboo Printing: A perennial block printing techniq...
March 27, 2021
Native to a small village tucked away from urban civilisation in the north-western state of Rajasthan, Daboo printing is a mud-resist hand block fabric printing technique sustaining the local Chipa Muslim community. It is one of the oldest block printing techniques in India, famo...
Read More
Sikki craft: Art made of golden grass in Bihar
March 23, 2021
Every day at about 10 am, Munni Devi of Raiyam village in Bihar’s Madhubani district sits alongside a pile of Sikki, a golden-hued grass that grows in the wet and marshy areas around rivers and ponds in the state. Her deft fingers weave the pliable grass into an organic and bi...
Read More
Pithora art: Depicting different hues of tribal li...
March 18, 2021
“Be it a depiction of countryside, weddings, festivals or celebrations of tribals, Pithora art celebrates different realities of rural life. It is like photographs of our daily lives, only hand-made and not clicked,” says Paresh Rathwa, a 51-year-old artist of Pithora paintin...
Read More
Remembering Sahir Ludhianvi – the pacifist p...
March 8, 2021
“Kaho ki ab koi tajir idhar ka rukh na kare, Ab is ja koi kavari na bechi jaegi; Ye khet jag pade, uth khadi huyi fasalein, Ab is jagah koi kyari na bechi jaegi” Roughly translates to ‘ask no traders to come here, no more girls will be sold, And tell them that fields have [...
Read More
Gond paintings: Of tribes, traditions and art
March 3, 2021
“Art in India does not wait for a canvas or paint. Rock surfaces and caves, a village wall, the floor, a palm leaf, a piece of wood, or even the palm of a hand is space enough and that is exactly what Gond represents – staying in harmony with nature,” says Gareeba Singh...
Read More
Arabic Calligraphy: Art in alphabets
February 26, 2021
As beautiful as pearls, his works attract the attention even of those who are not familiar with the Arabic language. According to him, aesthetics and refinement are the specialities of Islamic art. Arabic calligraphy is ‘worship’ for Muqtar Ahmed, a Bengaluru-based calligraph...
Read More
Pretty & plucky but not ‘plus size’ model...
February 19, 2021
“What does it even mean when you say plus size? What is ‘plus’ here? Is there a ‘minus’ too? What is the neutral size model? Is there a need to use such terms,” asks 32-year-old Niharika Achalkar, a Delhi-based model and Instagram influencer. “People laughed at me t...
Read More