MeMeraki Blog

Storytelling through Indian Tribal and Folk Arts

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India has a rich tradition of storytelling, right from the Vedic times, where the Vedas are passed down from generation to generation in the form of narrative stories (Shrutis). This...

By Zeel Sundhani

Evolution of Mughal Miniature Paintings

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The Mughal painting tradition, originating in the 16th century, marked a significant amalgamation of the indigenous with the Persian, and later the European themes and styles. This artistic journey continued...

By Misha Jaswal

Colonial influence on folk arts and their revival post independence

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Indian folk arts depend largely on storytelling. They are a means for the artist and the community to tell their tales, of their lifestyle, surroundings and what affects them. Thus,...

By Zeel Sundhani

Threads of Narrative: A Comparative Study of India's Kalamkari and West Africa's Kente Cloth

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Introduction: Textiles as Living Narratives Textiles, often considered merely utilitarian objects, have long served as silent storytellers—weaving mythologies, ancestral knowledge, social customs, and spiritual values into their warp and weft....

By Shwetha Achar

Development of Indian miniature paintings of the Rajput style

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The Rajput School of miniature paintings flourished under the Rajputana rulers in the 15th to 19th century CE.  This art of painting that prospered in Central India, Rajasthan and the...

By Zeel Sundhani

Spinning Joy: The Enduring Legacy of Channapatna Craft

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Nestled along the Bangalore-Mysore highway in Karnataka lies a town where wood is not just carved but coaxed into joy. Channapatna, often called the "Toy Town of India," is home...

By Vanirathi Nathani

Woven Through Struggle: The Resilience of Indian Textiles in Times of Hardship

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Throughout history, Indian textiles have served not only as cultural artifacts of beauty but also as resilient responses to adversity. During times of great hardship—be it colonial exploitation, war, famine,...

By Vanirathi Nathani

Goa’s last guardians of wooden artistry

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One of Goa’s most treasured crafts is the wood carving of Chitari art, a skill passed down through generations. Once admired for its grand Baroque and Rococo designs during Portuguese...

By Village Square

Jharkhand’s Sohrai art gets makeover for wider appeal

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Jharkhand’s ancient Sohrai art, nurtured by Padma Shri Bulu Imam and his sons, transforms from rural murals to sarees and contemporary marvels at GI Fair India Expo and Mart 2023...

By Village Square

Depiction of navarasas (9 emotions) through art

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Rasa can be explained as the emotional state of mind, and has formed an important aspect of Indian aesthetic understanding for centuries. The Navarasa, or the nine emotional states, come...

By Zeel Sundhani

Decoding the Hidden Symbolism in Chamba Rumal Embroidery

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Introduction: The Cloth That Speaks  In the hill town of Chamba, nestled in the lap of Himachal Pradesh, lives a tradition not just embroidered—but narrated—on cloth. The Chamba Rumal, literally...

By Vanirathi Nathani

Depiction of Ahstanayikas - Eight forms of women in love - through paintings

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The depiction of women has always been a popular theme in Indian arts, be it fine arts, literary arts or performing arts. Bharatmuni, in his treatise Natya Sastra, describes 8...

By Zeel Sundhani