Tag: Banaras

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Kashi Yatra: Chronicling the wonders of Banaras

Bringing the Wonders Of Benaras to life

In the words of Sanjeev Chandra, Professor at the University of Toronto, an author of several books, and a keen interest in Indian history and cultureā€¦reports Asian Lite News

Mamta Malhotra, a visual artist based in Benaras, will exhibit her work in Mumbai from November 15 to November 21 at the Jehangir Art Gallery. The exhibition is named “Kashi Yatra.”

She examines the interactions of line, colour, form, and texture in “Kashi Yatra” through abstract studies and urban environments.

Her creations demonstrate how Varanasi, a kaleidoscope of colour and texture, serves as true inspiration. She was inspired to paint cityscapes that highlight Varanasi’s fleeting beauty and fragility while evoking the intense vitality of an ancient and vibrant lifestyle by the juxtaposition and contrast of the urban fabric, a rich culture, and a timeless way of life that was rooted in nature.

The oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, Kashi, serves as a ray of hope in these trying times. Although Varanasi, which has stood on the banks of the Ganga since the beginning of time, has been ravaged and pillaged, and many of its magnificent temples have been destroyed, it still stands vivaciously as a testament to human tenacity and faith. Mamta is inspired by the ageless vitality and optimism for humanity that can be witnessed throughout history in this city-the order behind the chaos. Even though the urban landscape evolved from ancient architecture and technology, it still seems incredibly relevant to our day and age.

Varanasi is a real illustration of how much people appreciate nature and how much they comprehend how existence depends on the delicate harmony between the earth, her inhabitants, the seasons, and the goodness of nature. This symbiotic relationship of simplicity, beauty, and balance seems to be eroding with time. The old, the new, and future promise are all present in this distinctive Benarasi skyline. Benaras is deeply established in its customs, religion, and masti. With this program, we consider how to best preserve our essence while embracing the future and respecting nature and the environment as the nation moves toward urbanization.

In the words of Sanjeev Chandra, Professor at the University of Toronto, an author of several books, and a keen interest in Indian history and culture.

“Every great city needs an artist to chronicle its wonders, for it takes the talents of an artist to capture the spirit of a city, to reveal its hidden corners and acquaint us with its inhabitants. Mamta Malhotra is the best guide to Benaras that one can wish for, for her paintings portray as never before the faces of the people in its streets, the soaring rooflines of its ancient temples, and the beauties of the Ganga ghats. Every canvas is infused with the vibrant colours and whirl of life that have drawn pilgrims to Benaras for millennia. Malhotra’s art gives us a glimpse into the soul of a city that has been hallowed ground since humanity first walked on this land.”

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Celebration of Banaras tradition

A celebration of Banaras' rich and rare weaving traditions.(photo:IANSLIFE)

The collection continues the brand’s journey of delving into rich Indian art and draws inspiration from the night garden as depicted in the miniature Kangra paintingsā€¦reports Asian Lite News

Swati & Sunaina Gold celebrates the use of wild silks and their organic hues and sheen in its special 2022-23 collection – Vanya. The collection is being launched in collaboration with Sharan Apparao at the Apparao Gallery in Chennai.

True to the brand’s genesis and core values of pursuing rare weaving traditions of Banaras, Vanya suggests the idea of the rare Tussar, Eri and Muga, much like metallic yarns, as threads of gold. This is the first such extensive exploration of contemporary Banaras handlooms in such silks – where Mulberry’s use is the convention – by exploring creative possibilities in the traditions of Rangkaat, Tissue, Kadhuwa and Gyaser in the elaborate ways is seen here. The new collection will highlight the culmination of all four varieties of silk in ornamental Banarasi saris.

Swati & Sunaina

The collection continues the brand’s journey of delving into rich Indian art and draws inspiration from the night garden as depicted in the miniature Kangra paintings. The term ‘Vanya’ is of Sanskrit origin, meaning untamed, wild, or forest-based. The colour palette reflects Krishna’s rich dark blue with subtle green hues, traditional peethambar yellow and royal colours of magenta as accents with highlighted flowing white flowers.

The Brahmakamal (night-blooming cereus), Aparajita (butterfly pea), Rajnigandha (tuberose), Bela (Arabian jasmine), Juhi (night blooming jasmine) and Champa (Plumeria), with their shades and tones

of white, come alive with the natural wild silks.

Commenting on the launch of this special collection, Swati & Sunaina said, “Our core philosophy has always been purity & rarity of the material while striving to find a balance between tradition and innovation. Vanya translates our philosophy and vision into beautiful ornamental Banarasi sarees. A brand friend and a believer in promoting Indian design talent, Sharan Apparao’s gallery felt like the perfect place to launch this special collection. This collection is a celebration of Banaras’ rich and rare weaving traditions through impeccable craftsmanship and innovative techniques.”

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Nilosree’s great start for endless Banaras

Her earlier book, also co-authored with Irfan Nabi — ‘Alluring Kashmir: The Inner Spirit’ — has found a home in the Library of Congress…writes Vishnu Makhijani

Author and filmmaker Nilosree Biswas have shot various documentaries in Banaras since her first visit to the city in 1996. The idea of a book took root in 2013 and she was initially apprehensive whether she would come out “fully scathed or oblivious”. The outcome of this true labour of love is a book that combines her rich prose with the powerful images of photographer Irfan Nabi that explores the fascinating nuances of the holy city.

“My relationship with Banaras dates back to the 90’s; my first trip to the city was in the early winter of 1996. Since then I have visited Banaras numerous times; I have shot various documentaries there. The seed idea of the book initiated way back in 2013; we started working on it in 2017.

“And I decided to visit the place once again, apprehensive of whether I would come out fully scathed or oblivious, that is, pining for more or not wanting to ever go back again,” Biswas told in an interview of ‘Banaras – Of Gods, Humans and Stories’ (Niyogi Books).

“All the captivating elements — the ghats, the rickety stalls, the winding lanes, and the daily lure of sweet and savoury Banarasi delectables — too many visual imageries stuffed my mind. I wanted to capture all that and more,” she added.

Noting that a book always has a wider canvas to work on and therefore, creates possibilities to tell more about a location, Biswas said: “Banaras is endless, one book is not enough, but it’s a great start.”

Considerable research that went into the book, from primary sources to secondary sources, field data, interviews; From the seminal works of Diana Eck, a scholar of religious studies who is a Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard, to travel accounts of European travellers, to English translations of scriptural texts, colonial records, to studying the art of British painters like (1749-1840).

“Apart from the published material, all my first-hand encounters with the artisans engaged in Banarasi-sari weaving, the meenakaris, the wooden toymakers, the tabla makers, the flower sellers, the snack makers and more have provided the most ‘real’ experiences for the research for this book,” Biswas explained.

“You cannot ever have or experience all that Banaras has to offer. It is imperative that one must visit the place, if not possible physically, then by turning the pages of this book. As I said, one book may not be enough, but it is surely a great start,” she maintained.

A cascading effect of events unravels in Banaras through the book — on its ghats and in its lanes. Myriad lanes emerge like an umbilical cord out of the ghats to the womb of the sacred geography, to the infinite spots where the believers pause to experience the divine. Its waterfront, a grid of stairs leads one’s vision up and the eye meets a world that is frantic of the mundane and magnum opus, a scene that appears chaotic yet in sync.

Biswas and Nabi discern the engaging narrative of a unique chromosome that makes Banaras. Traversing within the maze, its sacred topography, craft traditions, and gastronomic plethora, the book examines the tenets of its weave. There is a singular, unified, and unstoppable momentum to all this — akin to the unfolding of a scroll of a painting.

“A lovingly-written and profoundly personal meditation on the City of Light in all its different dimensions and avatars; vaulting from mythology to history and back through the ancient scriptures and epics to the living landscape, this is a warmly affectionate love letter to the holiest of all Indian cities,” says historian, art historian, author, and curator William Dalrymple.

Nilosree Biswas was trained in Comparative Literature at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and later in cinema. Her interests include history, cultural studies of pre-modern, colonial South Asia, and early Hindi cinema. Her works, both film, and writing have appeared in various print media and screened worldwide including at Cannes Film Festival.

‘Broken Memory, Shining Dust’, her prominent documentary, has been archived by the Oscar Library, also known as The Margaret Herrick Library, a world-renowned, non-circulating reference and research collection devoted to the history and development of the motion picture as an art form and an industry established in 1928 and located in Beverly Hills

Her earlier book, also co-authored with Irfan Nabi — ‘Alluring Kashmir: The Inner Spirit’ — has found a home in the Library of Congress.

Biswas is working on her next book on food stories during British rule in India.

Irfan Nabi studied in Srinagar’s prestigious Irish Catholic Burn Hall School. He photographs often and writes intermittently; his images have been part of major exhibitions in Amsterdam, Washington, Kolkata, and New Delhi among many other cities around the globe. He has shot and travelled solo across various terrains.

Indulgence in food and music is what keeps him going in his spare time. A book on Ladakh is in progress. Culturally nuanced photo elements are what his lens seeks.

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