Did design in India formally begin with the Eames Report? The short answer is: of course not. What then, is the Indian design aesthetic? What is India’s design language? What kind of a people are we with respect to how we use and decorate our objects? How does design permeate through and percolate into our habits, rituals and homes? Can Indian design be separated from its crafts? How do Indian crafts segue into modern Indian design? Who are the pioneers of Indian design? Who will be its torch-bearers? How does technology play a part in Indian design? Sujata will talk about these and other questions.
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I trained as a sculptor for five years in undergraduate and graduate school before dropping out under dramatic circumstances that I write about in my book, Monsoon Diary. Recently, I have started writing about art– both contemporary and ancient Indian art. Here are some of my posts.
Expressing the Erotic: Indian Dance
What an amazing event to moderate. Thank you Madhu Natraj and Praveen Kumar, dancers extraordinaire. Also Su Iyer who stepped in and sang beautifully.
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Rajinikanth the icon.
Had fun writing this piece. Going to watch Kabali today. 23 July 2016 | E-Paper Home » Leisure » The Good Life Last Modified: Thu, Jul 21 2016. 09 20 PM IST All is well in the Rajini world You don’t go to a Rajinikanth movie for the plot. You go for the comfort it…
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Ode to Radio
Today is my good friend, Shailaja’s birthday. In her honor, writing these words It is hard to find a friendship who has a combination of wit, honesty, discretion and humanity. In Shailaja, I have a friend who will point out my mistakes with candor and compassion; who is funny as hell; and who keeps my…
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Gauri Diwakar, Aditi Mangaldas, GR Iranna, Sudarshan Shetty, Matt Ridley and the art of collaboration
22 January 2016 | E-Paper Home » Leisure » The Good Life Last Modified: Thu, Jan 21 2016. 06 18 PM IST What rehearsals tell you about an artist Rehearsals are a vicarious pleasure; a way of accessing the genius of performers without the pressure of a performance Shoba Narayan G.R. Iranna with his sculptures…
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Henna Journeys
A Quest to Master the Art of Henna.
Shoba Narayan sets out to hone her mehendi craft
Are you listening to Kodaikanal rap?
Trying to mix multiple streams in one column: millet, music, film extras and environmentalism. Are you listening to the Kodaikanal rapster? The old woman in Palani—down the hill from Kodaikanal– was trying to recruit me to be a movie extra. Muniamma looked like a rock star. She was about 80, with weathered skin about the…
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VSCO Cam
So I have been using Instagram a lot and my account is here so please ‘follow’ me if you like those images. I like clicking photos and sharing them on Instagram and VSCO Cam. The two sites are somewhat different. Instagram is huge, and VSCO Cam is artsy. Clicking photos on my handy iPhone is a…
Read MoreFestival of Sacred Music
My friend, Ranvir Shah and his Prakruti Foundation does The Festival of Sacred Music in Thiruvaiyaru every year. Details here This year, the festival is from March 6 to 8 and has a terrific line up. The Manganiyars, Kadri Gopalnath on Saxophone and Filter Coffee, a rock band. Imagine sitting under the stars and listening…
Read MoreA concert
My friend, Chitra Srikrishna and I doing a music gig called “Hum Raag.” It is a fun project where we link film songs to classical Indian music. Kabir bhajans, abhangs, light songs, carnatic music, hindustani music and the like. Our next show is on Sunday, January 18th from 5 to 7 PM. At Unnati Bangalore’s…
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