Onam....A riot of colours!

By Anuradha K. R

Photography: M.V. Pranjal

“Onam”.....Just an utterance of the name is enough to bring innumerable picturesque images chasing each other in our mind’s eye...

Rajabai Clock Tower Revisited

By Pari Syal

Heritage buildings keep alive our roots, giving the present generations a sense of pride and hope for a grounded future…

Art’s Own God

By Jigna Padhiar

Photography: Courtesy Gallery Pradarshak

To pray or not to pray? How many ‘followers/fans’ of The Buddha will perform rituals on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, which falls on May 6 in India this year?

Visit to Ajanta Caves

By Shriram Khadilkar

Photography: Shriram Khadilkar

Lord buddha in preaching pose flanked by Bodhisattvas, Cave 4, Ajanta

Back from his recent visit to the Ajanta caves, Shriram Khadilkar finds it difficult to break free from the onslaught of memories of visually rich wall paintings and local legends…

Mahashivratri

By Chirag Sharma

Image Source: leelesh.blogspot.com

With Shivratri, the well-observed, internationally widespread Hindu festival approaching, our office was abuzz with what art and design could well have to do with the Shivling, especially since the Shivling is vastly considered as the primordial form of abstractionism...

Mumbai Kala Ghoda Festival 2012

By Chirag Sharma

It’s a whole new world of cultural exchange each time. This year, the Kala Ghoda Festival has outdone its previous showcases, by a very large leap.

Makar Sankranti: One Emotion- Many Versions

By Jharna Shahani

Cheers to new beginnings! The start of every New Year is associated with new beginnings; “Makar Sankranti” is a festival that holds special meaning with kites soaring high in a symbolic manifestation of hope, goodwill and cheer…..

Vacant Memories

IAnD Exclusive

By Shriram Khadilkar

An artist’s work space is his private lair. In this era of tech gizmos and virtual connect, we take you back in time to film-maker, painter-sculptor, legendary Baburao Painter’s studio in Kolhapur, which was the epitome of comfort and tech-convenience in the early 20^th century.

Indian Bank Note – Design Evolution

By Savitha Hira

Images: courtesy ‘The Paper & The Promise’ publication by Reserve Bank of India

Mahatma Gandhi series of notes in a changed
 colour scheme with additional security features. 

Ever wondered why your rupee note looks different every few years? The change in colour, motifs, and size of the paper? Here’s a peak into the introduction and growth of paper money in India and how it has evolved to meet the challenges of the day!

Guru Nanak Gur Purab

By Jharna Shahani

Sikh Festivals are celebrated as ‘Gur Purabs’. Guru Nanak Gur Purab, one of the most important and most celebrated festivals for Sikhs, Sindhis and Punjabis marks a 5-day celebration of colours, langar (food) gurbani (devotional music) and crowd as much as it symbolizes worship and spirituality.

‘Core’ Experience

By Savitha Hira

Often in the excitement of appreciating the finished product, one conveniently forgets the hub of activity and ruminating ideas that have gone into creating it. We bring you the process of design with this hotel project at Bodhgaya, where we take you through Ar. Shimul Jhaveri Kadri’s step-wise conceptual presentation, as she relates the design behind the design… 

Mahatma Gandhi & Karmarkar

By Shriram Khadilkar

Friends (Cement)

Last Sunday was a day of the Mahatma. While one Mahatma is internationally acclaimed as the trailblazer of the Freedom of India Movement, the other of circumscribed renown is Master Sculptor Late Shri Vinayak Pandurang Karmarkar – Rodin of Indian sculpture. It wouldn’t be wrong to even call Rodin as the Karmarkar of Europe!

Navaratri Kolu

By Babita Krishnan

3-step kolu

The nine-day Devi festival – Navaratri – is probably one of the few festivals that is celebrated simultaneously across India. Each region has its own beliefs, traditions and rituals associated with it. The Brahmins of South India celebrate it as kolu.

Bom Bahia comes alive...

By Savitha Hira

I visited the museum almost 2 years back, when I was asked to write about the restoration and conservation processes that had brought alive the almost forgotten history of Mumbai. In the course of my conversation with Tasneem Mehta, Convenor INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage), Managing Trustee and Hon. Director Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, I was informed that the biggest challenge in the project was doing so much on a shoe string budget. In her words, "By any reckoning, 4 crores, which is the total project cost is a very tight budget for such a comprehensive project. We not only restored the entire building and the garden surrounding it, but also 3500 artefacts; archived the entire collection as well as mandatory paraphernalia of setting up a museum".

Till date, every time I visit...  feels like a first time.