The Hindu

/ read / January 17, 2024 / Partnerships
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We’re thrilled to start 2024 with the launch of Living Archive, a series of articles produced by Sarmaya for The Hindu. Starting Jan 2024, this monthly series will be published in the Sunday Magazine of the national newspaper. Each article will explore an idea embedded in Sarmaya’s collection of art and artefacts from the Indian subcontinent. Our writers are taste-makers, conservationists and heritage activists who will bring contemporary perspectives to historical preoccupations, from conquering new land to preserving the indigenous wealth within. Watch out for Living Archive every month in The Hindu's Sunday Magazine. Tap on the icons below to read the articles published so far.

 

The Hindu - Ceylon, Coastal maps, Coromandel Coast, Early maps, food, partnerships, The Hindu

Our inaugural feature was Inside the coastal Muslim kitchen by writer Sumaiya Mustafa. Inspired by a 17th-century map of the Coromandel coast and Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), Sumaiya wrote about how the perpetual churn of trade in this region has left its imprint upon the food traditions of her people and hometown, Kayalpatnam.

The Hindu - Ceylon, Coastal maps, Coromandel Coast, Early maps, food, partnerships, The Hindu

Map of the Coasts of Malabar, Coromandel and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), 1733 © Sarmaya Arts Foundation

 

The Hindu - Ceylon, Coastal maps, Coromandel Coast, Early maps, food, partnerships, The Hindu

For February's Living Archive, we had conservation ecologist Vasanth Bosco taking us on a walk through the unique shola-grasssland mosaic of the Nilgiris. Responding to early photographs of the region from the Sarmaya collection Vasanth says, "In the 21st century, the mosaic cover, which once stretched across the entire plateau, has been reduced to less than 10% of its original extent. A 2023 recreation of a photograph of the view from Elk Hill in Ooty, taken between 1870 and 1920, is a stark example of the fast-disappearing landscape."  Read the article Why Gaurs Are Tumbling Down the Nilgiris.

The Hindu - Ceylon, Coastal maps, Coromandel Coast, Early maps, food, partnerships, The Hindu

Images: (top) Ooty from Elk Hill, c. 1870 - 1920, unidentified photographer © Sarmaya Arts Foundation. (2017.67.30(28)); (bottom) Ooty from Elk Hill, 2023, photo by Vasanth Bosco

The Hindu - Ceylon, Coastal maps, Coromandel Coast, Early maps, food, partnerships, The Hindu

In the March edition of Living Archive, Instagram’s favourite Chef Thomas Zacharias wrote about the ‘wild foods’ trend in the modern culinary scene and placed it within a provocative historical context. From his travels among tribal communities across India over the past decade, his work on the Wild Food Project at his enterprise, TheLocavore.in, and time spent poring over 19th-century botanical art at the Sarmaya archive, he introduces us to the unsung custodians of India’s food heritage. This edition of Living Archive was published in The Hindu’s Sunday Magazine dated 24 March, 2024.

The Hindu - Ceylon, Coastal maps, Coromandel Coast, Early maps, food, partnerships, The Hindu

In the April edition of Living Archive,  dancer and author Madhur Gupta wrote about the unsung contributions made by India's courtesans to our design and art heritage. Madhur's case is illustrated by rare images of 'nautch girls' and 'tawaifs' from Sarmaya's collection of 19th-century photos, in which sumptuous textiles and jewels signal the influence and sophistication of the wearer.  This edition of Living Archive was published in The Hindu’s Sunday Magazine dated 21 April, 2024.