This Just In

Why do we collect what we do? The inexorable pull of nostalgia. The simple human need to draw closer to beauty. The undeniable thrill of acquisition. All these influence the act of collecting. At our archive, each potential addition to the collection is judged by one other criteria: Can this object expand our understanding of the Indian subcontinent and its inexhaustible vault of stories? This holds across genres including rare numismatics, medieval miniature paintings, pioneering early photography in India or contemporary art that poses provocative questions. In a previous edition of ‘This Just In’, we focused solely on works by Indian artists. This time too, we have some incredible talent showcased on our site for the first time. But we wanted to take a broader view to introduce you to all the new objects—and by extension, the new ideas and histories—we’ve been unpacking recently at Sarmaya.