Stream - Sarmaya

Warlords to Kings – History of the Maratha supremacy

The Maratha identity, which took shape in the 8th century and continued to wield power even under British rule, is one of the most understudied aspects of Deccan history. Travel with us to meet its most influential architects

Life on the Deccan Plateau – From dinosaurs to diamonds

Like its culture, the geology of the Deccan too is incredibly diverse and supports a dazzling variety of life

The ‘Delhi Renaissance’: Indigenous roots of colonial modernity by Swapna Liddle

‘The Sufi Mind: A flight of Curiosity and Love’ by Moin Mir

Masters of the Universe – Medieval Deccan’s kings & queens

Meet some of the most influential kings and queens of the region and understand their contribution to the language, politics and art of south India

A Deccan Odyssey

Synonymous with the plateau that covers most of southern India, the Deccan is also an important historical region with a complex, multicultural past. For the 35th issue of Spotlight, we journey across its fabled lands.

Southern feast

Whether we’re talking geology, politics or culture, the historical region of the Deccan offers a sumptuous and varied feast for thought

Singing pillars, living rocks & posh pineapples – Architecture of the Deccan

How medieval Deccani architecture evolved to encompass such a range of marvels, from monolithic cave monasteries to Dravidian temple art to Indo-Islamic minarets

Empires of the Deccan – 1,000 years of shifting sands

The Deccan’s diversity of art, culture and language is the result of centuries of shifting politics. Let’s get to know the prominent early and late-mediaeval kingdoms of this vast region through Sarmaya’s rare photographs, coins, books, engravings and maps

Echoes of the Land – Virtual exhibition

Sarmaya’s first exhibition in Delhi is now online! Experience the sights and sounds of ‘Echoes of the Land’ as it was staged at Ojas Art in Nov 2022

Tunnel Vision – An environmental history of Indian Railways

From its start in the 19th Century, Indian Railways played a pivotal role in the trade, economy and culture of the Subcontinent. But how did the arrival of trains impact our country’s ecology?

Madras Then, Chennai Now by Sriram V

Walk through the lanes of British-era Chennai with historian Sriram V and rare photographs from the Sarmaya collection

Echoes of the Land

In November 2022, Sarmaya collaborated with Ojas Art to present our first exhibition in Delhi. In the 34th edition of our digital magazine, Spotlight, we examine some environmental, cultural and artistic themes from the show.

Worship, Preserve, Witness – The role of art in the Anthropocene

Nourished for millennia by the infinite variety of nature and its boundless capacity for renewal, artists today show us how to forge a more equitable connection with the earth

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

A Return to The Land – A history of Warli paintings

How did the art of a people from the Sahyadri mountains of western India capture the imagination of the nation and the world? The evolution of Warli paintings from Jivya Soma Mashe to the Vayeda Brothers

How to draw a tree like Sukhnandi Vyam

A member of the Gond-Pardhan community, Sukhnandi Vyam considers his art as an expression of the tribe’s identity and spiritual connection with nature

Gopa Trivedi’s fables of an inevitable future

Drawing from the practices of Rajasthani miniature painting and printmaking, Gopa Trivedi turns abstract concepts—time, decay, renewal—into provocative, fragmented frames

“My landscapes are testaments to the silent lands of Assam”

Through this series of woodcut prints, Chandan Benz Baruah looks back at the forests of his childhood with love for what they gave him and rage for what’s being taken from them