The Look Book: when they saw us, and how!

My first review as the Mumbai correspondent for Art Fact, the newsletter for ArtsAcre Foundation, Kolkata I could stare at that Persian couple the rest of my life – really! Her hairstyle, their fashionable garments and footwear, his headgear, her direct gaze and his almond dreamy eyes – together they were celebs of their day...

Have you visited your local Museum yet? We have :)

March is here, everyone will get busy with their financial work in India as this month ends the financial year here. It’s a stressful time when you realise that most of your investments have gone wrong and the essential papers are missing! For a de-stressful time, visit the local museum in your city to marvel...

2019 has an exciting start!

#projectinterpret started 2019 with a tour of the nearly 2000 year old Kanheri Caves in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivali East, Mumbai. Easy to reach, through winding lush green path, spotting deers enroute, this cave cluster needs to be climbed by foot once a vehicle takes you to its base. Not for the...

A 600 year old trek!

  Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Ralph Waldo Emerson One Saturday morning, we went in our quest for the Kondapalli fort - if you had read the previous post then you would know why 🙂 yes, the crafts community that makes...

#projectinterpret’s 2nd quarter

In the 2nd quarter of #projectinterpret, apart from the guided tours some new initiatives have taken root. These are: Knowyourcity challenge: photographs are regularly uploaded on the VarnikaDesigns Instagram and Facebook accounts to quiz on some historical monuments/sites/buildings to help people connect to the architectural landmarks of a city. Most of us have passed these...

Castella de Aguada – what’s that?

  The Castella de Aguada is an actual place though it looks out of a children's adventure book. Popularly known as Bandra Fort. Has accentuated both reel-life, and real-life love lives for those who live life 'filmy'! In Bandra West, earlier probably known as Bandora. In Mumbai, earlier known as Bombay. History of it goes...

Am I “sic” enough for History classes :)

This is part 1 of my History class posts - no, don't worry, I won't teach History 🙂 I'll just share with you my experiences of teaching History to a very, very futuristic AR, VI & AI oriented generation. To the less initiated, like I was at the beginning of these classes, AR is Augmented...

My Museum Journey Map with #projectinterpret

In class, while teaching ‘Museum Management’ I wrote on the board some of the Indian cities I have visited for their Museums. It helped me map my journey from my birth place Jaipur (where I was born of a Museum connection) to other parts of India. This map connected me to the students who belonged...

Turning to Gandhi …

  When the world already stands devastated with brutalities and horrors that human beings are wrecking upon other human beings, comes across the despicable crime towards a lovely, 8 year old child. Name, caste, community, religion, village, family, country or politics - nothing, absolutely nothing, should matter in the path of justice. The National Crime Records...

#projectinterpret’s first quarter…

#projectinterpret was kicked off on 1st January, 2018, by VarnikaDesigns. In the first 3 months, it has gathered its first few pilots and travelled back in time with them. Here's a quick recap below: 1st #projectinterpretpilot is Manju Ramanan, the Editor of the newly relauched Filmfare Middle East, Dubai. She visited Mumbai early this year...