Reads - Sarmaya

Sarmaya Zodiac 2024

All through 2024, explore the Sarmaya collection through the 12 sun signs of the zodiac. Updated every month, from Feb 2024 – Jan 2025

Rare Fabric: Gujarat’s lesser-known textile traditions

Shilpa Shah of the TAPI Collection shares generous insights—and stunning objects—that tell us a vivid story of Gujarat’s cultural tapestry

Special issue – Commemorative coins of India

For numismatists or coin collectors on a budget, commemorative coins are a great way to get started. Here’s what makes them special

Animal coindom: The symbolism of numismatic flora and fauna

Let’s look into the legends of three animals frequently found on old Indian coins.

India, G20 & the repatriation of cultural artefacts

Conversations on the repatriation of museum objects continue to evolve and encounter new complexities

Destination India, a reading list

Five books that showcase how the world once saw India

Mughal Sarais, where caravans & cultures mingled

Along the ancient Silk Road and the historic Grand Trunk Road lay a series of rest-stops and inns called sarais where caravans of travellers, pilgrims and traders could break their journey

Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Kabuliwala’ to get a contemporary remake

One of Rabindranath Tagore’s most popular short stories, Kabuliwala, will be told once again in film. In this new remake, Mithun Chakravarthy will reportedly play the titular role of Rehemat, an itinerant merchant from Kabul, Afghanistan, who strikes an unlikely friendship with a 5-year-old girl during his yearly visits to Kolkata. Though it is fiction,… Read more »

India’s African History – The Siddis of the Deccan

The Siddis are unique among the multicultural communities of the Deccan. Many arrived in India as East African slaves but their lives collided with the volatile politics of the region in ways that would birth new identities

“Echoes of the Land has been a revelation for us at Ojas”

In conversation with Anubhav Nath, founder of Ojas Art, on the collaboration with Sarmaya and the vitality of indigenous art

‘Sisters Who Watch Over Us’ – Telangana’s powerful local goddesses

Among the Dalits and Bahujans of South India, the seven sister-goddesses are revered as protectors of the land and preservers of its people. Meet the gramadevatalu of Telangana

Ripple effect

Two contemporary creators, Zishaan K Latif and Sahil Vasudeva, on how water flows through their filmmaking, photography and music practice

‘By saving our tigers, we saved our rivers too’

Did you know that most of India’s rivers originate in forests? To understand this invisible connection, we interviewed conservationist, naturalist, wildlife photographer and President of the Wildlife Conservation Trust, Dr Anish Andheria

Stepping into the underground splendour of Delhi’s baolis

Marvels of Medieval architecture, conservation and urban planning, baolis or stepwells have played an important role in defining the culture of Delhi

How to collect rare coins in India

We get experienced numismatists to answer some frequently asked questions about how to collect, decipher and research old and rare coins

Madras Talkies – Reading List

Titles from the Sarmaya library that will draw you further into the heart of Tamil Nadu’s culture through music, architecture, photography and art

Reeling them in – How Tamil cinema shaped politics

For over a hundred years, Tamil cinema has had its finger on the pulse of the region’s cultural and political life. Find out how this love story began and the chief protagonists who directed its course

The Curious Case of Chennai’s Elleesan & the Dravidian proof

A story about Francis Whyte Ellis, a British linguist whose study of law, land and language in the 1800s would influence the Dravidian politics of the 1900s

Sarmaya X TARQ: In conversation with Hena Kapadia

We spoke to Hena Kapadia about our collaboration and her own journey with founding TARQ. How did she come upon its winning formula? We have the answer to that and much more