Culture

Nadahabba: Celebrating extravagant Mysuru Dasara

Nadahabba: Celebrating extravagant Mysuru Dasara

October 14, 2021

The 10-day long Mysuru Dasara, that normally falls in the month of September or October as per the Hindu calendar, is celebrated in a distinct and unique manner. Though the entire city, which is the second largest city in Karnataka and home to the erstwhile royal family of Wodeya...

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Explore different faces of Ramlila

Explore different faces of Ramlila

October 7, 2021

Ramayana, India’s best-known historical epic, tells the tale of the Indian Prince Lord Ram, whose wife Sita is stolen from him by the ten-headed demon King Ravana and taken to his mountain kingdom. Aided by his brother Lakshman and the loyal monkey god Hanuman, Ram eventually r...

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Durga Puja preparations enter last lap in Delhi’s CR Park

Durga Puja preparations enter last lap in Delhi’...

October 5, 2021

With Durga Puja just around the corner, talented artisans are busy putting their final touches on idols of gods and goddesses to be delivered to magnificent pandals, temples and homes of worshippers. The biggest Bengali festival of the year, Durga Puja celebrates the victory of H...

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Mata ni Pachedi: Tales of Goddess told on fabric

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

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

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 household goods

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

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 of mythology and village folklore

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 Pradesh

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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