In a temple, or a mosque, all heads bow down in front of the almighty, irrespective of status or gender. Every kind of prayer requires the soul to be pure and the head to be covered, irrespective of religion. Turbans and caps change shape every few kilometres, duppattas and scarves have different colours and patterns [...]
A few kilometres from Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa, is a village where all houses and shops along the roads have one thing in common: beautiful appliqué work, in the making or on display, all giving out a loud burst of colour. This famous appliqué work comes from Pipli village, which was established by the [...]
On the full moon of the month of “Shraavan”, a burst of colour makes an appearance on boys and men alike, with multi hued rakhis tied on their wrists. The festival of Rakshabandhan, celebrated on this day, speaks of the relationship between brothers and sisters. Sisters tie a Rakhi, or holy thread, on the wrist [...]
Red… the colour of blood, of life, vitality… red, the colour of the Mother Goddess, the embodiment of power, the nurturer and destroyer… the protector of the weak.
In a great battle between Shiva and the asura (demon), Raktabija, every drop of the asura’s blood that fell to the earth, gave rise to more and [...]
A precious piece of heirloom, passed down through generations and preserved to be brought out only for the most important occasions, the Patolu, or Patola is one of the most prized and valued textiles. (As described in the earlier post on “Patola” ) It is revered not just for its religious significance across many [...]
The onset of much awaited monsoons, bringing heavy, rumbling clouds in the dark skies above… and roaring crowds below, pull massive chariots for the gods who have decided to take a stroll…
Every year, on the day of Asadha Shukla Dwitiya (second day of the waxing moon phase of the Asadha month according to the [...]
Drawn symbols are probably the oldest way of preservation of information and wisdom, starting with depiction of life scenes in Stone Age caves, to trading seals with undecipherable scripts and to volumes of written text in the form of books. Somewhere in the evolution of writing from stone to paper, came inscriptions on palm leaves. [...]
Among the remains of one of the most ancient civilizations, at the Indus Valley site at Dholavira, Gujarat, were pieces of earthen ware, surviving in their original form for five thousand years.
As per Hindu belief the human body is composed of five natural elements, one of them being earth, and we humans always like to [...]
Like the patter of raindrops on the window, like the beat of gentle drums, a rhythmic, repetitive pattern spreading across fabric like a web of motifs… Such is the marvel of a fabric, hand printed by a block that creates identical patterns, seamlessly merging into each other so gently, one cannot follow where the pattern [...]
A grand procession is on its way from the palace. There are soldiers on horses, ministers riding on camels and the king and queen are sitting high atop a beautifully decorated elephant. There are dancers and musicians also going along, a group of women carrying flowers; all surrounded by reverberating drum beats. A scene rare [...]
