‘Gotipua’: a tradition where boys dance as girls

'Gotipua' is a dance form where young boys dress up as girls in honour of Lord Jagannatha and Lord Krishna can be traced back to the 16th century and earlier. Let's learn about this unique dance and its 400 year old origin.

Durga Pujo Memories of Kuntal De

Writing Mahabharata is easier than penning my memory of Durga Puja that spans 40 plus years. The rains slowed down, sky was still cloudy and sombre, structures of bamboo and cheap wood would mushroom everywhere in the city, our new playgrounds. We used to climb the structures the whole day and scolded by the uncles...

Instagram takeover #3: Chelsea Santos

  The world is passing through a strange situation brought upon by the fear of the Coronavirus 19 (Covid 19). Most of us are unaware of what it actually means but it has generated a high level of crazy speculation, stress resulting into a rise in depression. There is a global 'lockdown' - people are...

Pondi – cherry times…

Come, let’s travel the city of Pondicherry, now Puducherry, lovingly called Pondy. In happier times, I had taken a nearly 48-hour train journey to reach there, and it had been worth every bit. That was my second visit to the lovely city on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The first time had […]

Jodhpur: soaring high!

Jodhpur: beating the blues... contd... As mentioned in the previous post, Jodhpur is famous for its textiles, arts and crafts. Even today, its woodcarvers create some of the most popular contemporary furniture that are found online - just Google for 'Jodhpur furniture' and check the results! You have to walk around the old city to...

Jodhpur: beating the blues

Jodhpur. It is not just another city. It is an offering. Of everything stunning in nature: desert, sunrise, sunset, mist, flora and fauna. All beautifully entwined in the local history, arts, architecture, crafts, textiles, design, and cuisine. Much loved by its inhabitants. Jodhpur is a treasure. History: Jodhpur was established by Rao Jodha in 1459,...

Instagram takeover #2: Pragati Singhal

"Best design is something which works with all of your 5 senses and is invisible." Pragati Singhal, Textile Designer, February 2020 For February, the second VarnikaDesigns Instagram takeover was by Textile Designer, Pragati Singhal. She was very keen on highlighting 'senses' and took us on a Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious ride. We love it and will never forget...

The V S Gaitonde exhibition review

A humble offering in the form of a review of the paintings by the celebrated artist V S Gaitonde by the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation at the CSMVS, for the ArtFAct monthly newsletter. This December they complete a year 🙂 The text of the review is given below: The Sea There is a pleasure in...

Workshop: Access & Inclusion in Museums, Mehrangarh Fort Museum, Jodhpur

Workshop alert: Access and Inclusion in South and Southeast Asian Museums Venue: Mehrangarh Fort & Aana Jharna Museums, Jodhpur Dates: 28 - 30th November, 2019 Organised by: Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM), ICOM ICTOP (International Committee for Training of Personnel) and ICOM India, in collaboration with Mehrangarh Museum Trust, Jodhpur and Maharaja Sawai Man Singh...

“People who love to eat are always the best people.”

  "People who love to eat are always the best people." Julia Child An American chef, author and very famous TV anchor, Julia Child established French food in the American palate. If you haven't seen Meryl Streep play her in the film 'Julie & Julia' then you ain't seen nothing! Every festival in India has...