Mad Woman in the Attic

Take a second look. It is imagination you are looking at, an imagination both individual & collective: fluent, expressive, very contemporary, ancient. It is more than a little mysterious. Objectives: Beginning towards research & documentation, transmission, promotion & conservation of the diverse heritage of the painting style Document and disseminate forgotten forms, materials and processes of the painting style as a repository of cultural ways and values Celebrate time-honored indigenous skills and practices as perceived in the life of individual painters such as Mahavir Swami [1] , a master craftsman, awarded by the President of India and others Create a research led base for exploring new paradigms of growth and knowledge forms vis-à-vis the narrative led technique of the painting style Create a basis for an inter-disciplinary process spanning craft skills, performance arts, new media and architecture i...

One of my special adventures in ‘Dilwalon ki Dilli’, since I have shifted here, has been traveling by public transport: The Buses. The windows on the driver’s seat are interestingly adorned to the core with bangles, danglers, stickers depicting various Gods and aspects of Hinduism, with four speakers for listening to music, while traveling. This music essentially comprises of Bollywood songs, sometimes old, sometimes new (either through cassettes or CDs or FM Radio); as also of regional music. What I am hinting at is the fascinating affiliation of Hindi film songs with the process of traveling, which largely remains true of northern parts of India . What are the various facets of this affiliation? There are varied emotions while listening to music: this can range from comforting to soothing to noisy et al. Nevertheless, there is a wish to probe deeper into exploring other facets of this relation. Talking about Hindi film songs, they are linked to films not just by appearing ...

With Arshad Hamid It was the autumn season and my mother had taken me to the shrine of Hazrat Zain-ud-din Wali (locally called Zain Shah) in Aishmuqam, south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Inside the premises of shrine perched on hillock, my mother was murmuring passages from the holy Quran intermittently seeking blessings and intercession from Zain Shah. Hands cupped together, facing the shrine’s decorated and painted gate, I was waiting for some miracle to happen. I could see tears gushing from mother’s eyes wetting her pheran (a traditional outer garment). My attention was diverted from a sudden blare of shahnai and thuds of dhool. My curiosity took me outside the shrine and while descending the stairs I saw a small crowd gathering. A woman taking quick leaps towards the spot blurted “Bhande Pather”. Inviting others, she told it has already started. I too rushed to the watch. Jostling through the crowd, I made my way to the front row. Squatting o...

‘Microfinance refers to small scale financial services for both credits and deposits- that are provided to people who farm or fish or herd; operate small or micro enterprise where goods are produced, recycled, repaired, or traded; provide services; work for wages or commissions; gain income from renting out small amounts of land, vehicles, draft animals, or machinery and tools; and to other individuals and local groups in developing countries in both rural and urban areas’ - Marguerite S. Robinson It is well known that in the development paradigm, micro-finance has become an integral part as a need-based policy and program to cater to the so far neglected target groups (women, poor, rural, deprived, etc.). Micro finance is a participative model that can address the needs of the poor especially women members. It envisages the empowerment of the members by promoting their saving habits and extending bank loans to them. When women become economically self-reliant and contribute d...