Culture
Mata ni Pachedi: Tales of Goddess told on fabric
October 3, 2021
Mata ni Pachedi means “behind the Mother Goddess” in Gujarati. Pachedi is a religious textile folk art derived from the Kalamkari style of painting, featuring the Mother Goddess at the centre and her stories, the remaining cloth is then filled with images of devotees along wi...
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Ballet leaps into mainstream Indian dance scene
September 30, 2021
Growing up in the small town of Siliguri at the foothills of the Himalayas in West Bengal, 20-year-old Dipesh Verma always knew he was born to dance. However, Verma’s father, a grocer, was adamant against letting his son pursue the art form, forcing him to practice secretly at ...
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Rogan painting: Keeping a dying art form alive
September 26, 2021
Rogan artwork is traditionally designed on bridal wear and wedding fabrics using rich bright natural colours without using any drawing brush. The Rogan fabric paintings are produced through an arduous process. The term Rogan means “oil-based” in Persian. First, castor oil is ...
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Warli Art: Journey from walls of tribal homes to h...
September 21, 2021
Warli paintings take their name from the tribal community on the northern edge of the Sahyadri Range in Maharashtra, primarily in Thane and Palghar districts, with Dahanu and Jawhar at the forefront. The tribal art style dates back to the 10th century AD and has traditionally bee...
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Artists break barriers with beatboxing in India
September 16, 2021
Beat boxing finds its contemporary roots in the hip hop subculture in 1980s in America. Though it took over three decades to reach India, the art has been gaining ground here over the past few years. Now it is widely spreading in mainstream cultural art by using different musical...
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Telangana’s Cheriyal scroll paintings: Stories o...
September 9, 2021
Cheriyal, a small, sleepy village in Telangana about 100 km from capital Hyderabad, denotes the one of the last places in India where ancient Cheriyal scroll paintings are still being made. Once it was home to several families who survived on scroll paintings, but many have moved...
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Tholu Bommalata: Shadow puppetry art of Andhra Pra...
August 24, 2021
As soon as lights go off, a loud voice, along with classical music, booms and different characters leap onto white screen. The latest show of Tholu Bommalata has begun. Deeply connected with spiritual beliefs and cultural practices, this shadow puppetry mainly depicts narratives ...
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In 2021, pets make Indian families picture perfect
August 19, 2021
For long, animals have enjoyed a special place in Indian society. From being prayed to as Gods, to playing cupid in Bollywood movies, they have always had a special place in people’s heart. But even though audiences seemed to love the pets on the silver screen, they hardly ever...
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Rajasthani miniature paintings: Amalgamation of hi...
August 16, 2021
The king of kings riding along the dense jungle path, with his raised sword gleaming in the moonlight and bow and arrows hung from his sinewy shoulders as the horse on which his proud girth is positioned gallops towards the unknown. The dark sky glittered with stars as if alive, ...
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The growth of tattoo art: Inking personal stories ...
August 12, 2021
The art of tattooing has existed since ancient times, used for a variety of reasons ranging from beautification to tribal markings. Facial tattooing was common among many Indian tribes as a mark of being a great warrior or to document their diverse cultures and traditions. It was...
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