‘The Indian tribal art, a new field of exploration of contemporary art’ – Le Monde.
India’s cultural richness makes it an endlessly fascinating country. India is known for its profusion of sacred art reaching back several thousand years, but we are less aware of the fact that over 60 million Indians come from the several hundred miscellaneous tribes with which the country is studded. The Indian government has done more than any other to preserve and give visibility to its tribal and popular art and since 1976 the Indian authorities have regularly accorded the great names in tribal art the same status as those in the modern art that has followed independence. These are India’s ‘other Masters’, as the title of an exhibition held in New Delhi in 1998 put it. At the instigation of the great modern painter and guru Jagdish Swaminathan, the year 1982 saw the inauguration in the very heart of India of the Bharat Bhavan, the first museum to give an equal standing to contemporary artists from both dominant and minority cultures. The groundbreaking historical figures among these other masters, such as Jangarh Singh Shyam and Jivya Soma Mashe, who were present in the historic exhibition Magicians of the Earth (Centre Pompidou, 1989), are enjoying a burgeoning international reputation. Their works are now on display in the great private collections, from the Devi Art Foundation to the Fondation Cartier, and the international press, ranging from the New York Times to Le Monde and including The Hindu, have celebrated these artists’ imaginative range. India astonishes once again through its extraordinary capacity simultaneously to provide a stage for all the best examples of contemporary art generated by its diverse cultures, whether they be dominant, minority, global, local, urban or rural. Like contemporary art, India is itself multi-faceted. One word, manifold cultures.
A premium lifestyle food superstore for people who understand and enjoy the finer nuances and aspects of food, Foodhall presents its first cookbook. Curated by one of the finest food and ingredients stores in India, this book presents 75 recipes from around the world shared by star chefs – from modern European to Asian, contemporary Indian to Mediterranean, and not-to-be-missed dream desserts – as well as the food philosophy of each region. It is a celebration of the never-ending love for food that defines Foodhall’s mission. Contents: Modern European; Asian; Contemporary India; Mediterranean; Desserts; About the Chefs.
This essential travel guide to Southern India’s varied heritage covers all the major Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and European historical monuments and sites in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. There are amazing descriptions of forts and palaces, temple architecture, sculpture and painting, mosques and tombs, churches and civic buildings. Plan trips by using the travel-friendly itineraries, accompanied by useful location maps. This essential travel guide contains comprehensive coverage of the region’s cities and monuments, museums, and archaeological sites. It includes all the major sites the great port cities of Mumbai, Chennai and Kochi; the citadels of Golconda, Vijaynagara and Gingee; the rock-cut sanctuaries at Ajanta and Ellora; the temples at Badami, Halebid and Thanjuvar; the mosques of Hyderabad and Bijapur; and the cathedrals at Goa and hundreds of less well-known places.
Enter the world of Mission Masala, where fiery spices, street food vibes and pure passion come together on your plate. This book takes you behind the scenes of this vibrant soul food hotspot. Discover the flavors and recipes that make Mission Masala a culinary mission. From next-level curries and smoky tandoori to colorful cocktails and funky sides – every dish is bursting with flavor and personality. A feast for foodies, spice lovers and anyone ready to fire up their kitchen. Let’s spice things up!
5000 Years of Indian Art demystifies the story of Indian art spread over the millennia. This visually stunning book offers a panoramic view of Indian art from pre-historic times to the contemporary period. The absorbing narrative links different predominant artistic genres (like prehistoric art, ancient Indian art of Vedic and Buddhist traditions, temple art, Mughal miniature painting, colonial art, modern Indian art, and contemporary art) that were prevalent in different eras, instead of following formally demarcated historical periods.
The illustrated tale encompasses the entire gamut from the earliest primitive markings on stones, caves, and frescoes to exquisite paintings, sculptures, modern photography, finely crafted artefacts, media-inspired work, popular installations, and other forms of contemporary art. The book displays around 200 select masterpieces of art from museums, galleries, and private collections around India and the world. The history of Indian art is as old as the civilization itself and every major period of history has given it newer modes of expression. This book successfully captures all the myriad influences that have enriched Indian art over the years.
Features works from the following museums: American Museum of Natural History, New York, Archaeological Museum, Sarnath, Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, University of Oxford British Museum, London, Brooklyn Museum, New York, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Gujral Art Museum, New Delhi, Harvard Art Museum/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, Kabul Museum, Kabul, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, Indian Museum, Kolkata, Islamabad Museum, Islamabad, Lahore Museum, Lahore, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, Mathura Museum, Mathura, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Musée Guimet, Paris, Museum für Indische Kunst, Berlin, Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, National Museum of Pakistan, Karachi, National Museum, New Delhi, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, Patna Museum, Bihar, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Sarnath Site Museum, Uttar Pradesh, Seattle Art Museum, Washington, Staaliche Museum of Berlin: 91, V & A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum, London Trustees of the British Museum, London .
Bombay is a city always on the move. Driven by multiple impulses, it has been the site for a Buddhist ethos, a safe haven for refugees from Persia, a hub of maritime trade and a melting pot of European and Eastern influences. Enriched with in-depth historical research and exclusive photographs, Bombay: Then documents the transformation of the once ‘insignificant cluster of islets’ into one of the most exciting spots for cultural exchange in South Asia. Among other views, the book illustrates the Mankeshwar temple and the Rajabai Clock Tower wrapped in scaffolding; the construction of Victoria Dock and the opening of its massive underwater gates; a lush and sparsely populated Malabar Hill; a rare view of the interior of a Parsi fire temple; factory scenes inside the Royal Mint and the Times of India units; what the stock exchange looked like nearly a century ago; and many breathtaking aerial shots of this beautiful island-city. A sheer visual treat through extraordinary historical photographs, Bombay: Then is for keeps. Mumbai has always been a city of dreams – shiny, colorful, nebulous dreams that melt away the moment you try to grasp them. Yet it beckons and the charm of the mirage is too seductive to let pass. Mumbai has moved from being Bombay to Bambai to Mumbai in four centuries and yet it is all three: encompassing all manner of paradoxical realities within its moist borders. Mumbai is restless, transient but the pulse of its past still runs through its streets. The fifteen million souls that inhabit this great island-city belong to all walks of life, numerous ethnic and religious backgrounds, and manage to communicate through the Babel-like confusion of different tongues and diverse histories. Mumbai: Now brings this shape-shifting, elusive city to you – from the stories of the first Goan migrants to the lives of native Koli fishermen; from the tradition of dabbawalas to that of ‘cutting’ chai; and from the potters in Dharavi to the pink flamingos in Sewri – in a series of beautiful, moving pictures that capture the many moods and faces of Mumbai.
2019 marks 50 years of innovation for CP Kukreja Architects (CPKA), one of India’s most prestigious architectural practices. CPKA has helmed some of India’s most iconic structures, including Jawaharlal Nehru University and the National Archives of India. This book is a celebration of these projects and more, exploring CPKA’s personalized architectural philosophies for each. What emerges is a commitment to modernity, community and sustainability. It is with this driving spirit that the firm has built an impeachable legacy for themselves.
CPKA was selected by World Architecture, U.K., as one of the top 100 architecture firms in the world. Its illustrious list of clients has included the governments of India, Canada, and the United States, as well as the Honda Group, Japan.
Insurgency and the Artist explores not merely how Indian printmakers and artists responded to the freedom struggle but also how the art they fashioned invoked their own conception of the nation, their sense of the past, and the contors of the movement for India’s emancipation from the yoke of colonial oppression. Recent scholarly work has been almost entirely riveted on nationalist prints, and much of it has focused on the idea of Bharat Mata, but this book seeks to furnish a more rounded account of the artwork — including etchings, paintings, woodblocks prints, and cartoons — contemporary to the freedom struggle and also highlights the work of neglected artists such as Babuji Shilpi, S.L. Parasher, Zainul Abedin, and M.V. Dhurandhar, among others. The author considers how the Indian past was rendered as one of martial resistance to ‘foreign’ rule, the manner in which artists worked with mythic material, and, of course, the treatment of the larger-than-life figures of Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Subhas Bose, and other patriots in nationalist art. This gloriously illustrated work simultaneously offers a narrative history of the freedom struggle and the rich interplay of text and images is designed to offer insights that neither conventional histories nor images can offer in isolation. Insurgency and the Artist is also an inquiry into how ideas travel across borders, the porousness of culture, and the relationship of art to politics.
This exhibition and accompanying book show how contemporary artists are reinventing craft techniques, exploring identity and cultural history.
Embroidery, a skill passed down through generations, is central to this exploration. Traditionally practiced by women, it’s now embraced by both genders. The exhibition highlights the work of Madhvi and Manu Parekh, who draw inspiration from India’s rich spiritual and artistic traditions. Their works, ranging from paintings to sculptures, reflect the interplay between the real and the imaginary.
The Chanakya School of Craft works with these artists to reinterpret their work through embroidery. This fusion of art and craft challenges traditional boundaries and creates a dialogue between past and present.
One bowl meals are the answer to quick, simple meals that are well thought out, balanced and filling. Filled with grains, noodles, rice or millet, vegetables and protein, they serve as the perfect weeknight meal that is complete, can be made in individual portions, makes good use of leftovers and are extremely versatile. Bowl meals give you the flexibility to switch out ingredients based on dietary restrictions, healthy choices or personal tastes. Indian food offers a variety of flavors and opportunity to pair different flavors, techniques, marinades and ingredients. Chef Megha Kohli takes the principles of the traditional Indian meal and applies it to the popular ‘one bowl meal’ concept to give you recipes that are easy to follow, quick to whip up and in which eat bite offers an exciting combination of taste, textures and flavors.
Showcasing an extensive range of photographs from India’s princely states, The Unforgettable Maharajas opens a window into the private lives of the maharajas. Featuring the jewelry, interiors, portraiture and many more aspects of the lives of these majestic families, this luxurious book is a documentation in photographs, of the maharajas of India: undoubtedly one of the greatest anachronisms of the 20th century. Among them were enlightened rulers and profligate princes, saints and scoundrels, heroes and cowards, sadists and boors, charmers and eccentrics. In the eyes of their people, however, they had the divine right to rule and they left the stamp of an unmistakable aura of majesty.
A comprehensive collection of historical photographs from princely India, this is also the largest selection of royal pictures in any one book.
Madras Then: The Story of Madras is the tale of several small villages that grew to become metropolis. In the sixteenth century, when the Dutch raised the price of pepper by 5 shillings, 24 merchants in London formed the East India Company in 1600 to corner the India trade. This event was to change the course of Indian history and to lead to the formation of several Indian cities, including Madras. A city of myth and historical importance, Madras and the region around the city has served as an important administrative, military and economic center for many centuries. With rare archival photographs from museums and libraries from around the world the book showcases a large number of photographs from private collections and tells a story of a city earlier also known as Blacktown. City of the oldest living language in the world, Chennai is different from the other three metros of India. A city also popularly called the cultural center of South India, Chennai is fast becoming home to some of the major global IT and automobile companies as well as India’s foremost center of medical tourism. A city of politics and films, Chennai has made Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha as popular as Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan. From a lazy, sleepy Madras of the early twentieth century, the city is changing rapidly and this photo journey showcases the different facets of this beautiful city on the harbor.
India is a nation of conflicting realities, where the old and the new, the traditional and modern regularly coexist. Here, the artists are concerned not solely with telling their own tales but also with exploring what it means to live in a nation steeped in tradition.
Within the context of modern and contemporary India, works on paper offered artists a way of cultivating transnational modernist expression while continuing to explore the potential of a medium that had deeper roots in older artistic traditions native to the subcontinent. This volume features over 100 watercolors, drawings, etchings, sketches and lithographs by senior Indian modernists, born primarily before the 1950s and who came of age in the decades directly following Independence in 1947. These artists span the transition from colonial to post-colonial India, embracing both realism and abstraction, exploring complex metaphors, and making political statements that directly engage India’s past, present, and future.
With contributions by Tamara Sears, Michael Mackenzie, Paula Sengupta, Emma Oslé, Darielle Mason, Rebecca M. Brown, Jeffrey Wechsler, Kishore Singh and Swathi Gorle.
Award-winning writer René Balcer is best known for his hit series Law & Order and Criminal Intent. Much less is known about his startling photographic work, shared only with his close friends and colleagues – until now!
This offers 500 photographs showcasing Balcer’s trademark crime scene aesthetic. The stunning images range from West Africa to the Utah desert, from a remote Arctic village to a seedy Brooklyn bar, with photos full of narrative mystery. There is a section on pre-Covid China, a China many say has since vanished. Also included is a unique homage to Balcer’s adoptive city of Los Angeles, and a ground-breaking photo-essay on Buenos Aires’ posh Recoleta neighborhood.
Marked by wry social commentary and breath-taking beauty and framed by insightful essays from noted Contemporary Art expert Robert Hobbs, renowned artist Xu Bing, and bestselling mystery writer Naomi Hirahara, these compelling never-before-seen photos are now presented in a glorious high-quality publication.
Showcasing an extensive range of photographs from India’s princely states, The Unforgettable Maharajas opens a window into the private lives of the maharajas. Featuring the jewelry, interiors, portraiture and many more aspects of the lives of these majestic families, this luxurious book is a documentation in photographs, of the maharajas of India: undoubtedly one of the greatest anachronisms of the 20th century. Among them were enlightened rulers and profligate princes, saints and scoundrels, heroes and cowards, sadists and boors, charmers and eccentrics. In the eyes of their people, however, they had the divine right to rule and they left the stamp of an unmistakable aura of majesty.
A comprehensive collection of historical photographs from princely India, this is also the largest selection of royal pictures in any one book.
The career of Y.G. Srimati – classical singer, musician, dancer and painter – represents a continuum in which each of these skills and experiences merged, influencing and pollinating each other.
Born in Mysore in 1926, Srimati was part of the generation much influenced by the rediscovery of a classical Sanskrit legacy devoted to the visual arts. Soon swept up in the nationalist movement for an independent India, she was deeply moved by the time she spent with Mahatma Gandhi. For the young Srimati, the explicit referencing of the past and of religious subjects came together in an unparalleled way, driven by the conscious striving for an indigenous agenda. This experience gave form and meaning to her art, and largely defined her style.
As John Guy demonstrates in this sumptuous volume, as a painter of the mid and late twentieth century, Y.G. Srimati embodied a traditionalist position, steadfast in her vision of an Indian style, one which resonated with those who knew India best.
Paper is undeniably a vehicle for the flowering of Indian art, literature, history and religion, but where did it come from? Who made it and how? What was their inspiration? How has this ancient craft survived in today’s India? Comprehensive and detailed, this book traces the nearly thousand-year history of hand paper-making in India.
Musicscapes: The Multiple Emotions of Indian Music is a visual diary, comprised of 30 years of photo documentation. It explores Indian music through the lens of the passionate photographer Shobha Deepak Singh. Shobha is a chronicler, dedicated to representing the musical zeitgeist of modern India in pictographic form. Retelling history through evocative black-and-white portraits, she displays the many moods, iconic moments and the ‘rasa’ of Indian music. From the maestros of vocal music, Balasaheb Poonchwale, Kumar Gandharva, Bhimsen Joshi, Kishori Amonkar and Shubha Mudgal; to legendary instrumental musicians, Bismillah Khan, Ravi Shankar, Amjad Ali Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, Vilayat Khan, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Ronu Mazumdar and Zakir Hussain; Shobha captures some of the boldest and brightest talents that have emerged from India’s diverse music community. Her unique visual language portrays these artists with a rawness and verve no other photographer’s camera could match.
Jangarh Singh Shyam was born in the early 1960s to an impoverished Gond family in rural central India. Discovered and nurtured by the renowned artist J. Swaminathan at Bharat Bhavan, the multi-arts center in Bhopal, Jangarh rose to global prominence after participating in a seminal art exhibition in Paris. After a brief career spanning only 20 years – and by then recognized as one of India’s greatest tribal artists – Jangarh committed suicide in 2001 at the age of 39. His work, informed by the Gond deities of his childhood, defied established categories and inspired a contemporary school of indigenous painting, which continues to attract admirers in India and abroad. Exploring his aesthetics, themes, and art historical relevance, this book also looks at the relationship between the artist and his early patrons, the collectors Niloufar and Mitchell S. Crites. Dr. Aurogeeta Das closely examines the huge body of work Jangarh left behind in The Crites Collection, enriching her study with references to works in other private and institutional collections. As such, she also captures early practices of collecting contemporary folk and tribal art in India. Contents: Preface by Mitchell S. Crites Patangarh to Paris, New Delhi to Niigata; Images I Samvega, Aesthetic Shock: Jangarh’s Artistic Evolution; Images II The Enchanted Forest: Jangarh’s Thematic Range; Images III Cataloague Raisonné: Paintings and Drawings from the Crites Collection.
Sikh Heritage, with a foreword by Hardeep Sigh Puri, is a succinct and delightfully photographed glimpse into the community’s religion, its ten gurus, its temples, traditional systems of governance, history, architecture, and the famous Golden Temple. This book traces the history of the valor and devotion of the Sikh community, which forms less than 1 per cent of India’s one billion population, yet produces over 50 per cent of the country’s food reserves. Despite the brutal assaults of history faced by the Sikh community – such as the partition of Punjab – they still maintain the merit of their heritage. Looks at how the thriving Sikh diaspora has spread across the globe; and how they always took the words of the gurus with them wherever they went. This work has captured the relics that have borne witness to the establishment of the Sikh community and identity. Most of these heritage objects associated with the gurus are in private collections or in gurdwaras. A photographic documentation of the Sikh historicity through objects both in time and space, such as the beautifully captured images of Takhats or temporal seats of the Sikhs, portray a unique relationship between the edifice and the Sikhs – thus, each photograph is a story in itself. This new approach aims at the conception of Sikh heritage not only as the sacred masterpieces of the past to be valued and conserved, but also as emblematic and living spaces to be appropriated by the local communities who are the bearers of a rich and active collective memory.
The book dives into the history of sedition and censorship in colonial India. Closely examining 100 texts that the British Empire banned, censored or deemed seditious, the work brings to life these lost gems from India’s freedom, cultural, and social movements. It includes writing by figures famous and obscure, of events immortalized and forgotten, by Indians and non-Indians, by people jailed and free, by politicians and missionaries, by travelers and novelists, and in several Indian as well as European languages. Each excerpt illuminates not just its author’s thought processes, but the times in which it was composed and circulated.
Bringing you vegetarian wholesomeness and stories from India, Thali is an immersive tour into India’s culinary landscape. As one of the largest consumers of a vegetarian diet in the world today, many Indian communities in the plains and the peninsula have depended on the huge variety of healthy local produce rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, and cereal due to suitable climatic conditions over generations. There’s a diversity of food available for every occasion, season, festival, age, region and even the day of the week – you name it. Exquisitely designed, with 70 easy-to-make quintessentially Indian recipes, Thali will make your mouth water and jaw drop with histories of India’s places and people telling you who they are and why they eat what they eat. Doctor, nutrition expert, wellbeing advocate and columnist, Nandita Iyer is the author of three bestselling books. She has been writing on nutrition, health and food for over 15 years. Since 2006, her popular blog, Saffron Trail, has been a major resource for healthy food and vegetarian recipes.
The Herbal Sutra: Indian Wisdom and Wellness through 100 Herbs is a journey into the heart of India’s herbal legacy. A stunningly illustrated compendium of 100 of India’s most illustrious herbs, the book documents their ancient wisdom, versatile applications and remarkable benefits. From haldi (turmeric) – a powerful antiseptic that is widely used for beauty rituals and for its anti-inflammatory goodness to jamun (Indian blackberry), a rich source of vitamins and antioxidants, and the kokum (butter tree) prized for its sweet and tangy taste, a reliable savior from the summer heat, these herbs form India’s rich heritage, offering a wealth of benefits. Harnessing the power of these herbs accompanied by illustrations that are inspired by India’s hand block printing tradition, this beautiful book sheds light on how to live better, eat better and make holistic choices using these sacred herbs that have been a part of our generational wisdom.
The history of Mughal glass has been predominantly neglected, leading scholars to speculate as to whether these spectacular specimens are European imports, made from European glass but decorated in India, or of entirely Indian manufacture. Mughal Glass: A History of Glassmaking in India delves into these questions while simultaneously exploring the development of new glass recipes, the impact of increased maritime trade, the Mughal emperors’ penchant for luxury goods, and the influence of colonial consumption in India. With a comprehensive catalog of Mughal glass objects gathered from both public and private collections around the world, this book stands as a definitive work, offering an authentic account that sheds light on a long-neglected aspect of Indian history.