Once a seat of great power, the ancient city of Gaur lies in ruin, its hollowed-out walls holding stories, secrets and echoes of eminence
Read more ...Hidden Figures: Colonial artists and Calcutta as muse
Immortalised by British artists, Calcutta and its people were seen through a colonial lens that presented India not as it was, but as they wanted it to be
Read more ...French Connection: The dream of Chandannagar
Visiting a riverside town in Bengal that carried great promise and flourishing French grandeur, only to be finally unmade by war
Read more ...Brewing a Revolution – The Tea Gardens of Bengal
What is life without the succour and comfort of a steaming cup of chai? From the elegant tea rooms of Calcutta to the milky concoctions of corner shops, tea is our lifeblood. We trace its history, equal parts tragic and romantic, dark and wondrous, and always full of flavour
Read more ...Casting Long Shadows – Puppeteer Michael Richardson On Tales That Travel
A disciple of the Wayang theatre of Indonesia, Michael Richardson found the shadow puppetry traditions of South Asia to be beautifully suited to telling American stories
Read more ...A Story of India in 12 Silver Coins
A rebellious empress, a great ruler of the south, a British queen taking the reins of a colony in revolt. Travel through time and discover Indian history through twelve exceptional silver coins
What can art do
Staying in with Mario de Miranda
Who pulls the strings in Gulabo Sitabo?
More quarantine reading: Kerala, Kolkata and the Kafkaesque
Tribute in Murals
Tholu Bommalaata
Comic Relief
To balance the solemnity of narrating episodes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, Tholu artists like to bring in some laughs with the help of these trusty sidekicks
Read more ...Chithambara Rao: Puppet Maestro
Artist, historian, storyteller. Meet the man in the shadows, the voice that embodies the spirit of Tholu Bommalaata
Read more ...Tholu Bommalaata
A Tholu Bommalaata performer pours their whole person into not telling, but showing you a story. Their hands cut, cure and craft the leather puppets. Their strong voices send the epics soaring into the night air. Every muscle in their body, from the arms working the figures to the toes beating out a rhythm on… Read more »
Read more ...“If we lose our diversity, we lose our soul”
Sarmaya founder Paul Abraham talks about his love for Tholu Bommalaata and why we must protect this precious art form and the people and history it represents
Read more ...Exploring the South Indian Tradition of Shadow Puppetry
Tholu Bommalaata is a shadow theatre art form that spread from India to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the rest of Asia. Its history is linked closely to the shifting sands of royal patronage and human migration
Read more ...Tholu Bommalaata – Dance of the Shadow Puppets
The Sarmaya team travelled to Dharmavaram in Andhra Pradesh to understand what it takes to carry on such an ancient legacy of art. Watch our short film from this journey here
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