“Through this illustrated talk we will cover the reasons for the deleterious decline of hand-block printing traditions in the 18th Century and their revival and regeneration in the India of today.” – Dr. Ritu Sethi for Sarmaya Talks. Dr Ritu Sethi is the editor of Global InCH, the online international journal of intangible cultural heritage,… Read more »
“I found myself going back to the different ways in which Ashoka was remembered and trying to understand how memories of him had been accumulating and eroding like the slabs of rocks on which he had left his words. I then decided to combine this with the fun and feel of his forms in Thailand,… Read more »
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
“A thousand-and-some years ago, there arose in southern India an empire that was among the most remarkable the world had ever seen. It defied a myriad of obstacles, and yet, through all the struggles and violence, it also cultivated and refined an aesthetic sensibility of breathtaking beauty.” – Kamini Dandapani on her lecture for Sarmaya… Read more »
“From 600-1100 CE, the Deccan was arguably the Subcontinent’s cultural and economic centre of gravity and shaped its religious and artistic history. Its medieval contemporaries acknowledged its prominence, and understanding their world can teach us a lot about our own.” – Anirudh Kanisetti on his lecture for Sarmaya Talks. Anirudh’s talk took place on 17… Read more »
Moin Mir eloquently outlines for us the pillars or central tenets of Sufism
This intensely illustrated talk invites you to eavesdrop on previously unheard dialogues between the built and unbuilt, the city as it was and as it might have been.
I am desperately late to the Gulabo Sitabo Netflix watch party (or Amazon in this case), but in my defence it was catching virtual dust while sitting at the very top of my watchlist and this is just how movie screenings and time work now. How ironic it is that this film was released in… Read more »
Listen as Devdutt energetically tackles big existential questions with intelligence and humour
Mughal coinage tells an engrossing tale of the rise and fall of its rulers, reflecting their wins and losses on the battlefield
Historian and heritage activist V Sriram introduced us to Andal, the 7th-century Tamil poet-saint and only woman among the 12 Alwars revered in Vaishnavite tradition
Prof Menon dissected ideas of heterosexuality versus desire between Indian men, especially in the context of Lord Ayyappan
An insightful narrative of how the Indian population’s unique DNA was shaped by centuries of migrations from Africa, West and East Asia and Eurasia
The ornithologist, conservationist and author explores how our country’s vast wildlife heritage was preserved in its art
It is tough for us today to imagine the enormous excitement in the late 19th century over what India was really like.