Mad Woman in the Attic

Ah! The prosperous rice lands of Bihar, Fed by the Ganga, Kosi and Gandak, Oh the lotus laden ponds and the bountiful trees, Inspire an art that seeks truth in its everyday! The land-locked state of Bihar, derived from the word ‘Vihara’ meaning ‘monastery’, is as old as the Indian subcontinent. The socio-religious life in Bihar is informed by many influences- rivers and their tributaries, harvest seasons and their festivals, a rich tribal culture, Buddhism, Jainism and Puranas, that boast of a magnificent cultural past. Bihar is full of history, in its various personages: Sita was the daughter of Mithila; the Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya; Mahavira merged with the eternal at Pawapuri, and Guru Gobind Singh was born at Patna. Empires and Emperors- Mauryas and Guptas, Khiljis, Sher Shah Suri, the Mughals, the Bengal Nawabs and the British, have left their marks on this land. The Champaran Satyagraha of 1916, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, was the first of its ki...

Article published in European Academic Research Journal “One should be able to rob a man and then stay there to punish him for getting robbed. That’s called ‘class’-that’s being a real king”                                                                                                 Aziz (Karnad 1971: 58) Tughlaq , Karnad's second play, written in 1964, is perhaps his best known. The play shows the transformation of the character of the medieval ruler Mohammad bin Tughlaq . From a sensitive and intellig...

Article published in Muse India Mohan Rakesh  wrote of his age in his diary: “Huge buildings were built, government and semi-government centers, commissions and agencies, factories and machines, dams and development programmes, and government dictionaries were built. Below this development, emerged a very distorted and mutilated humanity. It felt as if people, already so earlier, were growing smaller and worthless, under the shadows of huge patterns of change… the entire base of humanity was crumbling and falling down.”  (Chatak 2003:24) This was the age that  Rakesh  was born in and led his life. His literary style was very much a product of his age. Modernism as the dominant literary mode, as it manifests itself in Realism, Symbolism, and Existentialism, came to influence Indian literature as well. However, modernism in India was not the same as in the west. Our experience of modernity was shaped by British colonialism, underdone industrialization and sc...

  My sarees are an expression of my feminism, where I don't have to wear certain kind of clothing to prove myself. I think I can express myself better in the long drapes of the saree. The rich textile traditions of the country inspire me. I have a varied collection, which include Jamdani, Paithani, Geecha Silk, Doria, Cottons, Block Prints, et al. Geecha Silk Handwoven Bhagalpur Silk Saree  cotton black weaves with golden border paired with an ikat blouse Block printed Bagh, Madhya Pradesh the subtle brown color of the block prints are a perfect contrast to the pink base Block Print cotton Saree Purple cotton saree with ikat and other color stripes Cotton Saree in my marwari colors of yellow and red The classic Ikat Cotton Teliya Jamdani Bengal, reds and oranges contrast with the grey backgorund Kota Doria in brown  Machine made ilkal saree  Handwoven Ilkal purple and orange crating a Raja Ravi Verma Pa...