The book promotion of Amish Tripathi’s latest book War of Lanka held at the Manchester Museum.. Swapna Das writes
Asian Lite in collaboration with Harper Collins successfully hosted the book promotion of Amish Tripathi’s latest book War of Lanka. The event was held on 7th June at the Manchester Museum. I attended the event with excitement and inquisitiveness and was pleasantly surprised to witness a good listening crowd.
The author’s presence on the occasion made the Indian diaspora feel proud of his literary achievements. The audience heard him speak about his journey as a writer and his other areas of work. I was interested to note the role of philosophy and religion in all his written works. Amish was generous with his wit and humour and the crowd listened to him in awe and I was one of them.
As an avid reader, I have enjoyed reading War of Lanka and was therefore interested to attend the function and meet the author in person. The enthusiastic crowd asked various questions addressed to the author, to which Amish replied with ease and conviction. When asked about his favourite Avatar, Amish obliged the young boy with a reply and said “Ram is my favourite Avatar”.
Adding that he sees biryani as a wholesome dish, Sokhi remembers approaching publishers with the idea of writing a book on food and management, but always being requested to work on a cookbook…writes Sukant Deepak
Smiling that he has a soul connection with food and lives for it, ‘energy chef’ Harpal Singh Sokhi who is often seen on television, not just giving recipes but entertaining his viewers with a peculiar brand of humour and one-liners, asserts, “Precisely why my audience base is between those aged two and 90. See, I am already preparing the next generation in order to stay relevant for decades to come,” he tells.
The chef, whose latest book ‘The Biryani Leader’ was launched recently, says it is a result of his thought process over the past decade.
Someone who has worked with major five-stars in the country besides launching multiple restaurants, including Karigari, BB Jaan, Dhadoom, Chika Chika, and Twist of Tadka in his three-decade career, he says that while chefs are taught that food is all about art and science, there is another element at play too.
“Why do we forget management — both at the macro and micro level? You keep a vessel on fire and you add spices and all, not realising the oil is so hot that everything will burn. Minute things warrant attention and should become standard practice. I maintain the Japanese principle of 5S pillars of Japanese management — Sort (Seiri), Set in Order (Seiton), Shine (Seiso), Standardise (Seiketsu), and Sustain (Shitsuke) are at play even in the kitchen,” says this IHM Bhubaneswar pass-out.
Adding that he sees biryani as a wholesome dish, Sokhi remembers approaching publishers with the idea of writing a book on food and management, but always being requested to work on a cookbook.
“But why would I do that? There are enough floating around. Moreover, the effort was to bring forth something path-breaking and not walk the road mostly taken.”
Priding himself on wearing “unique chef coats and twin-coloured turbans,” he feels the book is bound to do well.
“Also, biryani is the dish that sells the most in the country. There are more than 50 ingredients but each one has its own taste.”
While he feels that social media has made things interesting for food aficionados, the chef says it wise not to follow everything floating blindly.
“There may be 10 different recipes for a dish. Just see what is common in all of them and evaluate. Also, I strongly believe that it is important to search for knowledge that is being given by locals,” says Sokhi, who would be opening more restaurants and lounge bars across the country this year.
Believing that it is his state of mind that ultimately decides if the dish will come out well, Sokhi says whenever he is disturbed, he makes it a point not to go near the fire.
“I would tell my assistants to take over and go for a walk. Unless I am at peace with myself, the product will not come out well,” concludes the chef whose comfort food is a bowl of biryani cooked by his wife.
The Indian pavilion is a multi-sensory evocation of the essence of a contemporary Indian city chowk – an open market at the junction of streets – through the visual metaphor of a charpai – a traditional woven daybed found across India. The charpai is a design icon that transcends time, and its weave is representative of Indian craft…reports Asian Lite News
The fourth edition of the London Design Biennale was artistically directed by the NieuweInstituut-the Dutch national museum and institute for architecture, design, and digital culture. The entirety of Somerset House, including the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court and River Terrace, was taken over, and participants from across the globe were invited to imagine and enact new forms of international cooperation and participation-including with each other-through the medium of design.
The Design Village (TDV) and Studio Archohm designed the India Pavilion at the Biennale. 35 students from TDV attended the LDB and showcased their practical design intellect and thinking. These aspiring designers actively participated in the creation of the pavilion, gaining invaluable exposure on an international stage.
The fourth edition revolved around the theme of “The Global Game: Remapping Collaborations”. The India Pavilion showcased “Chowk&Charpai: An Urban Living Room”, a multi-sensory evocation of the essence of a contemporary Indian city curated by The Design Village and designed by Studio Archohm.
Speaking about the exposure Arpita Saraswat, a Postgraduate Student at the design village said “London Design Biennale as a platform has been enlightening for all of us coming together, to experience the work that leads us to global responsibilities. To see each concept being built for all of us to engage and experience. The conversations and research work through Eureka at a global level has motivated me to reflect upon. As a design student, it has been a transforming involvement for me. It has been an honour for us, the students, to bring the everyday collaborative and sustainable experience through our India Pavilion at the Somerset House.”
The Indian pavilion is a multi-sensory evocation of the essence of a contemporary Indian city chowk – an open market at the junction of streets – through the visual metaphor of a charpai – a traditional woven daybed found across India. The charpai is a design icon that transcends time, and its weave is representative of Indian craft.
The pavilion will stand as a large urban charpai sculpture, gently shading Somerset House as it basks in the British sun. The weave of the charpai renders a play of light and shade to make a street square – a chowk, where chance encounters take place. The oversized web of the charpai represents India – modern in its outlook, rooted in its culture.
Through the elements of touch, sound, sight, smell, and taste, the chowk represents Indian urbanity which adjusts and adapts through dense landscapes. Terracotta cups dot the facade and promise a “kullad chai” tasting experience – a testimony to the comforting warmth of Indian hospitality and craft. Urban furniture inspired by the Pavilion punctuates the area – these act as physical ambassadors and find a place in other pavilions at the Biennale. Inside, one can hear the humdrum of Indian streets, under a maze of exaggerated Charpoi weaves. Notes of “Petrichor” – the quintessential Indian smell of the first monsoon rain on mud developed by Boond from Kannauj, complements the experience. Matching the scale of the Pavilion, Puppeteers from Kayakalp Trust perform a story of the Mango fruit, posing questions on Climate Change.
“It was important for us to show various layers and complexities of narratives. Our country is multidimensional and therefore its true representation is hard to recreate in a singular inanimate manner. Our students have had the chance to work closely with artisans and professionals through this journey of putting together the India Pavilion, which makes it very special,” adds Mridu Sahai, Co-Founder of The Design Village.
One group of old masters emerged from the Bombay School of Art, where they excelled in the European Academic Realism imparted at the Sir J J School of Art…reports Sunny Chandiramani
The history of Modern Indian Art shines with countless luminous stars, whose legacy is eternally remembered and cherished. Of these, the old masters of Indian art, active during the late 19th and early 20th century, hold immense importance in the cultural heritage of the nation. These artists, divided by their artistic and political ideologies, made significant contributions to the development and preservation of Indian art during a crucial period of transition.
One group of old masters emerged from the Bombay School of Art, where they excelled in the European Academic Realism imparted at the Sir J J School of Art. These artists embraced the colonial legacy and mastered techniques that blended Indian subject matter with Western artistic styles. Their works showcased the assimilation of European art principles into the Indian context, creating a unique fusion. An important figure of this era, M. V. Dhurandhar was an extremely versatile artist, best known for his mastery in bringing the characters and stories from Indian mythology to life through his paintings.
A Tapestry of Perspectives: Exploring the Old Masters of Modern Indian Art.(photo:IANSLIFE)
Dhurandhar’s mythological works often depict the gods and goddesses of Hinduism, as well as scenes from great epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. However, the lesser-known aspect of his grand oeuvre is several landscape paintings he created. Dhurandhar’s landscape paintings capture the beauty and majesty of the Indian countryside. He was particularly interested in portraying the rural landscapes of Maharashtra, where he grew up. His paintings often depict rolling hills, lush forests, and tranquil water bodies such as lakes and rivers. He also frequently incorporated human figures and animals in his works, adding a sense of life and movement to his landscapes.
On the other hand, the early masters associated with the Bengal School of artistic thought were driven by a rising nationalistic fervour in early 20th century India. Inspired by the likes of Abanindranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose, these artists sought to revive traditional Indian art forms and techniques, emphasising a return to indigenous roots.
A Tapestry of Perspectives: Exploring the Old Masters of Modern Indian Art.(photo:IANSLIFE)
They rejected the Western academic influence and instead focused on depicting Indian mythology, history, and everyday life, infused with a sense of nationalism. Nandalal Bose was an important figure to champion the incorporation of indigenous sensibility in Indian art during the pre-independence era. He believed that Indian art should reflect the ethos, spirituality and symbolism that are ingrained in the nation’s cultural fabric.
amini Roy was another important artist from Bengal School who was inspired to break away from the traditional practices of European naturalism to find their individual artistic vocabulary and idiom. Towards the end of the 1920s, he gave up the medium of oil in favour of natural traditional pigments from vegetable and mineral sources and started to paint on different surfaces such as cloth, woven mats, and wood coated with lime. He also experimented with egg tempera and tamarind seed glue for binding purposes. Jamini Roy’s celebrated and unmistakable style shines through his iconic images of Bengali women, such as in a work titled ‘Sue Shadow,’ where the artist has portrayed a woman in a worshipful stance. His signature style of thick, black contour lines defines her figure, while the blue drapes are applied with a flat, unadorned style. This blend of modern and Indian expressions exemplifies Roy’s unique artistic language and adds depth and character to his portrayal of women. This work was executed on a card with tempera in 1956.
A Tapestry of Perspectives: Exploring the Old Masters of Modern Indian Art.(photo:IANSLIFE)
The first Asian and Indian to win the prestigious Nobel Prize for his great English composition ‘Geetanjali,’ Rabindranath Tagore continues to be recognised as the most important Indian artist globally. A poet, poet, song composer, novelist, essayist, and also a painter, Rabindranath Tagore’s contribution to art was multifaceted. A patriot and talisman for national pride, his thoughts and ideas were instrumental in shaping the narrative of modern India. One of the other important artists to emerge from the Bengal School was Chintamoni Kar, the renowned Indian sculptor whose training was done at the Indian Society of Oriental Art run by Rabindranath Tagore. Kar moved to Paris in 1938, where he studied at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere before moving back to India. This work, executed with gouache on paper in 1994, is appearing in an auction for the first time.
The importance of these old masters lies in their ability to preserve and celebrate the diverse artistic traditions of India during a time of cultural upheaval. Their works serve as a bridge between the rich artistic heritage of the past and the evolving artistic expressions of the present. Through their distinct ideologies and artistic approaches, they contributed to the pluralistic nature of Indian art, enriching its tapestry with varied perspectives.
Studying the works of these old masters allows us to understand the evolution of Indian art, the interplay of cultural influences, and the artistic responses to colonialism and nationalism. Their contributions have left a lasting legacy, inspiring future generations of artists to explore and reinterpret the artistic traditions of India. Recognising and appreciating the significance of the old masters is crucial for fostering a deeper understanding of Indian art and its place in the global artistic landscape.
Going back to colonial times, Ambekar pointed to the genesis of the prevalent notion that foreign alcohol is urban and elite; native substances such as ‘bhang’ and ‘charas’, which were regularly consumed and not considered an aberration, were regarded as rustic, and socially lowly…writes Kavya Dubey
Rampant addiction to substances may seem like a contemporary problem, but the use of psychotropic intoxicants long predates the awareness of the menace of drug addiction.
Dispelling common myths surrounding addiction, and delving into the new understanding of the issue and the menace it has come to be, Dr Anirudh Kala, a Punjab-based psychiatrist, in his third book ‘Most of What You Know About Addiction Is Wrong’ (published by Speaking Tiger), presents a meticulously detailed, comprehensive and insightful account of the very phenomenon of engaging in psycho-active substances and what leads it to become the menace of addiction.
Speaking at the book launch, Kala opened his address with a reminder: “People took opium and were by and large functional. You could have a four-hour-long discussion with someone on politics and be surprised that he is regularly opiated.”
The difference, though, is that people are dying from overdose, and getting infected with hepatitis and HIV from shared needles, Kala said, pointing out that jails have a significant number of inmates held for drug-related crimes but these are the people who need treatment and rehabilitation.
Dr Atul Ambekar, a fellow psychiatrist who has also written the foreword to Kala’s book, highlighted the “draconian” NDPS Act and how it is not the solution but the major contributor to rampant addiction, which is both a public health concern and a policy matter.
The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, prohibits production, manufacturing, cultivation, possession, sale, purchase, transport, storage, and/or consumption of any psychotropic substance or narcotic drug.
Ambekar explained the twin concerns of drug addiction and the NDPS Act with reference to the historical context. Indian society, which may not have celebrated the use of psychoactive substances, but nonetheless had space for their use, granting them social acceptance, which in turn kept in check the problem of addiction and the escalated situation of people dying from it.
“Usage does not mean addiction,” he clarified. “We socialise over drinks but we may not be alcoholics.” Explaining further, he emphasised the fundamental human need for an altered state of mind from time to time.
“It is a common need to periodically want to feel different, as much as a human needs food or sex or sleep. Some people use art, rock climbing, mysticism (for this purpose),” he said, marking a shift from substance to behaviour, both of which could lead to addiction.
“It becomes addiction not from regular use but from its salience — when a lot of mind space is taken up by the intoxicant,” Ambekar emphasised. “Addiction is as much a disease as diabetes or hypertension is.”
The experts also highlighted the predisposing factors for addiction: traumatic experiences and genetics are significant determinants of who gets addicted and who doesn’t.
Contrary to common perception, however, they maintain that mere availability of substances may have an impact on its use, but not on its addiction: “Alcohol is freely available but most Indians are teetotalers.”
The problem of drugs is a problem of policy
Ambekar went on to talk about the legality and policy matters surrounding substance abuse and addiction. “When opium was available, there were fewer addicts,” he said, adding that “most of the problems related to drugs are a problem of policy matters.”
He specifically pointed out three pitfalls of the NDPS Act.
The law puts all psychoactive substances in the same category without any distinction based on effect and intensity upon procurement or consumption.
Further, it criminalises personal consumption, thereby stigmatising it and, in turn, making it challenging to provide suitable treatment on time and addressing the public health concern at large.
Finally, the NDPS Act restricts doctors from prescribing certain drugs, making treatment difficult as they are systemically rendered vulnerable to stand criminalised.
Going back to colonial times, Ambekar pointed to the genesis of the prevalent notion that foreign alcohol is urban and elite; native substances such as ‘bhang’ and ‘charas’, which were regularly consumed and not considered an aberration, were regarded as rustic, and socially lowly.
India’s native intoxicants were vilified, but today, the world has realised that alcohol is much more harmful and cannabis has far greater uses than recreational intoxication.
In India, a drug dealer makes more money from narcotics than from the native bhang, with the same amount of risk and punishment involved.
Hence, it makes business sense to peddle the more harmful and damaging synthetic drugs like heroin and cocaine than selling or consuming the native, natural intoxicants.
Kala is of the view that personal consumption should not be criminalised, and that possession of a certain small amount of psychotropic substances should not make one liable to legal action. Only then can drug addiction be destigmatised and proper treatment be meted out.
He asserted that the awareness of the “responsible use” of any intoxicant is the method of keeping the danger of the “chronic illness” of addiction at bay.
Drawing an analogy and holding colonial schemes responsible to an extent, Kala said: “Homosexuality was not a crime until the British arrived. And they have legalised it now. Likewise for addiction.”
Talk to her about how stand-up comic acts have made their presence felt even in small-town India, and she feels that not only are we sick of staying indoors, but also laughing at the dumbness shown on movie screens…writes Sukant Deepak
Fresh off her Edinburgh Fringe run with her show ‘BC: AD – Before Children After Diapers’, and appearances in NYC off-Broadway, London, Paris, Berlin, Prague and three tours in India, Anu Vaidyanathan, may have hit the global comedy circuit, but that cannot be her only introduction.
This engineer, who ‘The Wall Street Journal’ declares to be ‘India’s female Ironman’, and whose memoir ‘Anywhere but Home’ was longlisted for the Mumbai Film Festival’s adaptation market with offers from two major Bollywood studios for options, and scripts finding themselves at Sundance and Rotterdam film festivals, says, “But I think I relate to the avatar of mom-of-two-kids the most.”
And her off-Broadway debut, ‘BC: AD’ was also born out of this identity. Stressing that having children changed everything for her as an individual, Vaidyanathan remembers re-orienting herself, finding meaning in life in different ways, and understanding that children respond most to a colour, a sound, or an image.
“I feel that is what drove me to write a book, which went to a film market but, I was not happy with the Bollywood formula of optioning good stories, forgetting the writers, and appropriating voices. I thought I could make a better film than them so, I studied filmmaking through my second pregnancy. The pandemic shut us down and that made me go to clown school and then standup followed. Within a year, I wrote my first standup hour. I have since fine-tuned it over dozens of performances. BC: AD is very much the story of when I first experienced a shift in identity and made peace with it.”
Interestingly, her stand-up acts touch different layers and bring forth several serious issues — for example the immigrant experience. However, the artist stresses that she does not think of including them consciously all writing is informed by one’s most personal experiences.
“In my case, I have lived in many different parts of the world during my various pursuits and yes, these experiences absolutely figure in my work.”
Talk to her about how stand-up comic acts have made their presence felt even in small-town India, and she feels that not only are we sick of staying indoors, but also laughing at the dumbness shown on movie screens.
“We definitely want to find better ways to entertain ourselves while spending an evening out with family, friends, or lovers. Comedy is very immediate. That is why it is appealing. Believe me, the power of the spoken word never ceases to amaze me.”
In both cases — New York’s SoHo Playhouse and the Stress Factory, she was playing on extraordinary stages, on which people she looks up to in real life have performed — Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag, which opened the floodgates at the Edinburgh Fringe to so many women wanting to show up and make work played at the SoHo Playhouse.
“It was a surreal experience. The Stress Factory has housed many greats, like Aziz Ansari and Drew Carrey.”
“I grew up watching ‘Whose line is it anyway’. It was one of those private moments of inexplicable joy when I found myself in the greenroom with these legends on the wall.”
Her process is much derived from real life and she is a one-project person who prides herself in completion, stressing that beginning multiple things and leaving them languishing is a threat to one’s creative life.
“I try to close projects, have a cookie, and then move on to the next thing. I am also a very one-project person and find multi-tasking to be a myth perpetuated by people who have an army of house help or an entourage surrounding them.”
Currently working on a new show, ‘Blimp’, for the Edinburgh Fringe 2023, she also has two feature scripts and trying to raise money with them.
“Whatever gets made this year will be a miracle because I feel like I have been burning the candle at both ends for the first five months. Again, I am telling myself to be patient with myself. It is a new way of life, a new world of people, a new way of working to be an artist,” she concludes.
Here’s a list of the top reads for 2023, which will continue surprise and keep you entertained as you stay indoors through the hot summer months:
I Have Some Questions for You (Rebecca Makkai)
A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past—the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia’s death and the conviction of the school’s athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are hotly debated online, Bodie prefers—needs—to let sleeping dogs lie.
But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn’t as much of an outsider at Granby as she’d thought—if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.
Yours Truly (Abby Jimenez)
A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.
Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.
And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.
The Right Move (Liz Tomforde)
She’s a distraction, that’s what she is.
I’m the newest Captain of the Devils, Chicago’s NBA team, and the last thing I needed this year was for Indy Ivers, my sister’s best friend, to move into my apartment. She’s messy, emotional, and way too tempting.
But when the team’s General Manager vocalizes his blatant disapproval of my promotion to Captain, referring to me as an unapproachable lone wolf with no work-life balance, I can’t think of a better way to convince him otherwise than pretending to date my outgoing roommate.
The only problem? Faking it feels far too natural.
Having a fake girlfriend wasn’t supposed to be messy but having Indy under my roof and in my bed is complicated, especially when she wants all the romantic parts of life that I could never give her.
Naomi Shaw used to believe in magic. Twenty-two years ago, she and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent the summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder. They called it the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked. Miraculously, she survived her seventeen stab wounds and lived to identify the man who had hurt her. The girls’ testimony put away a serial killer, wanted for murdering six women. They were heroes.
And they were liars.
For decades, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods—no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be.
All the Dangerous Things (Stacy Willingham)
One year ago, Isabelle Drake’s life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads for the police to chase, the case quickly went cold. However, Isabelle cannot rest until Mason is returned to her—literally.
Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year.
Isabelle’s entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever. In hopes of jarring loose a new witness or buried clue, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster—but his interest in Isabelle’s past makes her nervous. His incessant questioning paired with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of Mason’s disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust… including herself. But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads.
Happy Place (Emily Henry)
Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.
They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.
Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.
Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week… in front of those who know you best?
A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.
Spare (Prince Harry)
It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.
For Harry, this is that story at last.
Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness—and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight.
At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from post-traumatic stress and prone to crippling panic attacks. Above all, he couldn’t find true love.
Then he met Meghan. The world was swept away by the couple’s cinematic romance and rejoiced in their fairy-tale wedding. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. Watching his wife suffer, their safety and mental health at risk, Harry saw no other way to prevent the tragedy of history repeating itself but to flee his mother country. Over the centuries, leaving the Royal Family was an act few had dared. The last to try, in fact, had been his mother. . . .
For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.
The renowned Brazilian modernist architect, Oscar Niemeyer, skillfully captured the inherent beauty of Brasilia by integrating Costa’s meticulous urban layout with distinct buildings that exude functional, rhythmic structures, intricately designed facades, and minimalist, clean, and linear designs…reports Asian Lite News
The second edition of the Bihar Museum Biennale will be inaugurated on August 7 at the Bihar Museum in Patna.
Organised by the state government’s Department of Arts, Culture and Youth Affairs, the first-ever Museum Biennale in the country and the world was opened in March 2021 in a hybrid format providing a gateway to the richness and treasures of Indian museums and also bringing together a highlight of key collections from various museums across the world.
The biennale aims to sensitise the public to the importance and significance of museum culture in India and facilitate an understanding of the Indian culture, building a strong sense of identity, nationhood, and the self. Dr Alka Pande will be the chief curator for the forthcoming event.
As a Curtain Raiser to the Biennale, the museum will present a photography exhibition titled “Brasilia 60+ and the Construction of Modern Brazil” from June 21 to July 22. This exhibition pays tribute to the notable achievements of Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil, as it celebrates 200 years of independence.
Brasilia, an idea that emerged in the early 19th century, gained immense significance over time and was eventually inscribed in Brazil’s constitution. In 1956, President Juscelino Kubitschek recognised this idea and selected Lucio Costa’s urban plan, the “Plano Piloto”, as the winning concept for the new capital.
The renowned Brazilian modernist architect, Oscar Niemeyer, skillfully captured the inherent beauty of Brasilia by integrating Costa’s meticulous urban layout with distinct buildings that exude functional, rhythmic structures, intricately designed facades, and minimalist, clean, and linear designs.
The exhibition showcases the artistic documentation of Brasilia, capturing its unique character, essence, and architectural intricacies. It features a collection of photographs that depict symbolic palaces such as the Parliament, the President’s residence, the President’s office, the Ministries, and a significant number of apartment buildings. These architectural marvels paved the way for the capital’s transfer from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia in 1960, forever shaping the urban landscape of Brazil.
Another exhibition titled ‘Nature Strikes Back’ by the Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain will be on view from June 22 to July 21 inviting visitors to explore the darker side of nature and its delicate relationship with human existence. While documenting the deterioration of the environment, the haunting beauty of his images captivates viewers, inviting them to contemplate the intricate balance between man and nature.
The exhibition features a series of evocative black-and-white photographs, each offering a unique perspective on the decaying remnants of our environment. Both exhibitions have been curated by Dr Pande.
Anjani Kumar Singh, Director General of Bihar Museum, talking bout the forthcoming biennale said, “We promise a transformative experience as this new iteration aims to surpass its predecessor, presenting a better-enriched form to connect people, connect cultures, and interrogating museums. With a broadened scope of programming, the grand event will commence with the prestigious G20 exhibition, catapulting the biennale onto the global stage of artistic excellence.”
The works to be exhibited have been inspired by the wall paintings in Havelis. In fact, the artist also wrote the book ‘‘Wall Paintings; The Vanishing Treasure’ and documented the same in a film by the same title that was released last year. The movie will be released in the UK on July 5…writes Sukant Deepak
As a school-going boy, he would always stop seeing men making natural dyes and pigments in one of the bylanes of Bhiwani, Haryana. He remembers finding the process fascinating. This went on for several months until one of them invited him to sit with them. “Well, for several days I was asked to get tea and do odd jobs — guess they were testing me. Thank God I passed. It was here that I learnt everything about” smiles artist Ram Pratap Verma.
Fast forward to the present: Paintings, stacks of drawings, sculptures, and awards– they mark their presence almost everywhere in his apartment. Antiques collected over the years are in the balcony, and there is another room full of paintings.
Panchkula-based Verma is busy giving the final touches to the 25 works in natural pigments and acrylic that will be exhibited during his solo show ‘Past in Present Tense’ at the Nehru Centre in London from July 3 to 7. “In so many ways, the past lives in the present, and gives direction to the future. Through multiple metaphors, I want to narrate my own past which is in sync with my present.”
The works to be exhibited have been inspired by the wall paintings in Havelis. In fact, the artist also wrote the book ‘‘Wall Paintings; The Vanishing Treasure’ and documented the same in a film by the same title that was released last year. The movie will be released in the UK on July 5.
This College of Art pass-out has documented the remarkable paintings, executed since the 18th century based largely on mythological themes. Spending several months researching the artwork, artists, their styles, the kind of colours they used and how the prevailing situations at that time influenced the artists’ works, Verma says multiple times periods and diverse styles came together to create those works on the walls.
He has already started work on the second film which will document the temple art of Madhya Pradesh. “I have completed the still photography part and will be hiring a film crew from Mumbai as I did for the first one. For me, it is extremely important to work with professionals and not compromise on quality,” he says.
Investing his own money in the films, he says either one can make art or get trapped in the bureaucratic red tape of procuring funds. “I did try approaching government agencies, but the whole process is so tedious. I may not be from a rich family but do understand that making art is all about giving.”
For Verma, it was important to start major work after his wife passed on. “My poet friend Nirupama Dutt would call me often and exhort me to start a project that would keep me occupied. It made all the sense to go back to Fresco paintings which were a part of my growing up. I just hope that a heritage body or a government agency comes forward to preserve them before they vanish owing to neglect.”
The show will have paintings, drawings, prints, as well as sculptures. Arranged in chronology, the exhibit exemplifies the ingenuity as well as the ethos of modern and contemporary art practices…reports Asian Lite News
Get set for a show of Bengal’s masters, ‘Bengal Beyond Boundaries’ — which will see works by both past and contemporary artists as Aakriti Art Gallery, between July 6 and 16, is bringing to Bikaner House in the national capital seminal works by Abanindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Jamini Roy, Hemen Majumdar, Somnath Hore, Rabin Mondal, Ganesh Pyne, Arpita Singh, Jogen Chowdhury, Anjolie Ela Menon, Paresh Maity, and several others.
Conceptualised by artist Jogen Chowdhury and curated by Uma Nair, the exhibition seeks to place the history of the Bengal School as one that is born of the reflection of human understanding and affinity for a love of nature as well as the recording of human history through a fine selection of hand-picked works.
The show will have paintings, drawings, prints, as well as sculptures. Arranged in chronology, the exhibit exemplifies the ingenuity as well as the ethos of modern and contemporary art practices.
“A rank of works that transcend time the images of human figures as well as expressionist works will reflect the incessant human desire to explore the macrocosmic and the microcosmic through the experience of memory as well as history. These works will offer many journeys of discovery and contemplation and signify the enduring need for artists to provide a context and commentary around artistic journeys,” says curator Uma Nair.
The hallmark of the show will be the coming together of many big names in the art fraternity who have been practitioners for decades to young new upcoming talents.
The artists, printmakers, and sculptors have unravelled internal ‘journeys of discovery’ to provide an insight that focuses on the finest details of communication as well as the contemplative idiom in the creation of their own art. The show will include a quest that reaches out to capture the known as well as the unknown, it blends into a narrative of a prism of social, and cultural as well as a memoir of personal and public contemporary developments born out of the leaves of memory and Bengali heritage.
Divided into Bikaner House’s maze of galleries in the Centre for Contemporary Art, the show will feature the breadth of mediums artists worked within, including sculptures, drawings, paintings, and graphic works, as well as representations from Aakriti Art Gallery’s archival collection built up over decades.
From the early Kalighat mythic moorings to contemporary characters to the complexities of politics and power and faith and fervor this show is a novel look at present-day practices in the light of the past.
