We all know the story of the great epic Ramayana, and many of us have either learned from Ramananad Sagar’s Ramayana on TV or have heard its short stories in the form of folklore from our grandparents who always added their creativity to make it more interesting. If you are from the North the other…
Let’s turn inward to preserve our crafts!
“वो सुनते हैं न कि कभी ड्रैगन था , उसी तरह होगा कि कभी ज़रदोज़ी थी। एक दिन वह आएगा कि हमको किसी मंदिर या दरगाह में भीख मांगनी पड़ेगी।” ,says nazir. Coming such words from the finest zardoz in old Lucknow is heart-wrecking. Unfortunately, not only zardozi but chikankari, handblock printing, chanderi, many…
Memories and Emotions – Lucknawi Itra
“जिस फूल को वाहिद ऐ इक रोज़ ही जीना था, उस फूल को बक्शी है हयात हमने।“, that is Mr. Imran Ahmed, an itra craftsman’s take when someone says: you ruin beautiful flowers to make itra. सलीके से हवाओं में वो खुशबू घोल देते है,अभी कुछ लोग बाकी हैं जो मीठा बोल देते हैं, it’s…
Wajid Ali Shah: An Artist Trapped in a King’s Robe
Wajid Ali shah- The last Nawab of Awadh whose character and stories never fail to invoke curiosity. The man who married 300 women; thriving Kothas, the establishment of Parikhana, and sprawling Kaiserbagh palace made him infamous as a king indulged in debauchery. Certainly, he was an extravagant king who splurged on architecture and art more…
Khurja Pottery: The intriguing inception story of a craft
A small town spreading so much beauty around the world with its timeless craft. Pottery has always reflected the evolution of civilization. Khurja pottery, heard about it many times but never thought that this craft and the city embraced the whole history inside it. Imagine that beautiful teacup that you hold every morning has so…
Raghurajpur artist badly hit by COVID Pandemic.
Raghurajpur is a Heritage village near Puri, Orissa. It is a unique village where every house has an artist. There are around 160 artists in this remote village. Raghurajpur is known worldwide for its Performing art Odissi, Gotipua dance (unique dance form where boys dress up as girls and perform a classical dance to revere…
The Heritage keepers of India-Tikam Chand,1860 Carl Zeiss camera
1860 का इकलौता वर्किंग कैमरा, पूरी दुनिया में एक ही है,मिनट कैमरा मैडम,टेक फोटोग्राफ; these words of a middle-aged man made me stop, where I saw this intriguing piece of history happening Infront of my eyes, and I totally forgot I was rushing to Hawa Mahal in Jaipur. ये पुश्तैनी है, हमारे दादा जी के…
Corn Village-where Diwali arrives a month later!
Long fire sticks illuminated the valley, drum beats became louder, and the sight of happy faces became clearer as we entered the corn village. One elderly person came forward and asked us where are we coming from, we told him Delhi. Bahut acche time pe aaye hai “AAJ DIWALI HAI!”, welcome!! Perplexed me, gave him…
Kausani in 3 days – My complete day-wise itinerary
How we reached there: I have covered the day-wise itinerary of my stay, which you can follow to have a relaxed and pleasant stay. Day 1: Reached Kausani in the second half of the day, had evening snacks with a magnificent view. Around 7 pm visited Stargate Planetarium which was nearby. Kausani Planetarium: Visit Kausani…
Unexplored Gem of Himachal: Thachi Valley
2 days trip/budget travel Sorry, you won’t get those themed cafes, mall road markets or fancy food here, BUT if you want to experience the sound wind, chirping of birds, the sky full of stars, raw innocent faces, and mesmerizing landscapes, this place is for you. This place is a true unexplored gem of Himachal….
