art

The Convenience of Malleable Ethics

It is not that ethical systems are non-existent, it’s more that these are made malleable for convenience and become relative to the situational context.
Whose History Is It Anyway?

Is history collective? Is it individual? Is it both? Or is it neither?
THERE ARE INFINITE STORIES and infinite ways to tell them…

Sometimes, it is beautiful to listen to an unknown language without subtitles, to have the words and their intended meanings flow through your bones and to let go of the urge to ‘understand’ and interpret.
THINGS TAKE THE TIME THAT THEY TAKE

I appreciate the convenience of instant connection for work, and value staying in touch with friends– but at my pace.
Visual Arts Pedagogy in India – Past and Present

Of all arts, the best is Visual Arts It is conducive to attainments of virtue, wealth, pleasure and liberation Wherever it is established, at home or elsewhere, it is a harbinger of auspiciousness Chitrasutra, Vishnudharmottara Purana
TRAVELING PLANTS, INTERWINED MEMORY

An idea is like a seed. Once set in the right conditions, it will grow and grow, and grow, with roots and branches that spread and connect, and flowers and fruit with more seeds, allowing for something much larger to be created, and moving beyond its own life and time. This becomes a suitable metaphor for the project with the Jahajee Bandals, in which the chance connection through a community discussion on creole gardens brought about an interconnection between Trininad & Tobago, Goa, Hyderabad and Bihar. ‘The Botanical Afterlife of Indenture: Imaginative Archives’ (hosted at the Art Society of T&T, June […]
Accounting for Access

I learnt that meaningful access to art depends on the right mix of language, location, and curatorial approach—only then can high artistic values reach everyday audiences.
Parivartan: Change

“But didn’t you study Archaeology?”
Between the Stage and the Streets : A Reflection on Women’s Dance and Identity

In August 2024 I had the opportunity to watch a Lavani performance at Divar, Goa. Titled ‘Lavani Ke Rang’, it offered a glimpse into the world of traditional Lavani artists through a story of an enigmatic and quirky theatre ‘Malkin’ from the Sangeet Bari tradition. She takes the audience on a journey of their theatre rules, traditions, private performances, and a practical outlook towards their art. The production attempted to throw light on the various unknown facts about the traditional performative art and give the Lavani artists the respect and space they deserve. Historically, the genre of the Marathi love lyric, […]
Gatekeeping

Though I am embedded within the systems of the art world, I often question these inbuilt hierarchies, about who can enter and who is kept out.