When I heard about the opening of the HMT Heritage Centre and Museum in the city of Bengaluru, I became nostalgic for HMT was an intrinsic part of my growing up years. My dad was employed with the PSU for over 40 years and the plaque, given to him on retirement still occupies a place of pride in our home. I had to visit this place. Upon visiting, I was not disappointed as the museum, that traces the journey of HMT,
Heritage
Bonalu: Giving Thanks to the Goddess
The atmosphere held a festive air while the streets were a sea of yellow and green with young girls and women carrying the bonams on their head and participating enthusiastically by dancing in the procession to the rhythmic drumbeats dressed in traditional clothes. The festival of Bonalu in the state of Telangana is a matter of pride. Though this year, due to the pandemic, it has been kept low-key, the cultural and social importance of the festival is far beyond. Bonam
Kolam: the cultural identity of Tamil Nadu
On the periphery, a kolam (doodles on the entrance of Tamil houses) might look a simple traditional design done on the entry point of a Tamil household, but at the heart of it, kolams are interwoven with Tamil cultural and humane consciousness. The first brush with this part of the Tamil’s cultural identity happened in Swamimalai, a small town in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu and I was intrigued by the complexity of design and the ease with which
Rediscovering Kargil – Treasure Hunt Style
Who doesn’t like a good treasure hunt fable? There is an element of intrigue to the idea of digging the ground to find a precious chest of gleaming jewels or gold coins lurking within. Only in the case of Munshi Aziz Bhat’s family, it turned out to be a true story. The story starts nearly hundred years back in the scenic town of Kargil in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir where Bhat worked as a commissioning agent on
Mesmerising Landwehr Orchestra in Jaipur
To celebrate the 150th Birth Anniversary of the Father of our Nation Mahatma Gandhi, 70 years of Friendship treaty between Switzerland and India (signed on August 14, 1948) and the 70th Foundation year of Clarks Group of Hotels, the troupe performed immersive and enriching pieces in Hotel Clarks Amer on October 19 in the presence of the prominent citizens of Jaipur and the President & Financial Minister of the State of Freiburg - Georges Godel. Landwehr of Fribourg is the certified
Rendezvous with a record-breaking Ravana
For all of us, Dussehra is all about the triumph of the victory of good over evil. But for Tejinder Singh Chauhan of Barara village in Ambala, it is mostly about setting records. This 51-year-old has just built the tallest Ravana effigy in the world! The Vital statistics The 215-feet high effigy of the demon king stands tall in the grounds of Sector 5 in Panchkula. The creator of the giant, Tejinder Singh Chauhan, says, “We have braved rain, heat, mosquitoes and
Safeguarding indigenous horses, living heritage of India
It is said that horse is the most sensitive and the most sensible creature of the animal world. Seeing these beautiful creatures in different stud farms of Gujarat, I was left spellbound. What was more surprising was the passion and love of the stud farm owners have for the horses. Having already attended the launch event of HorsesofIndia.com in New Delhi, I had the preliminary information of the initiative, but it was on ground zero that I felt the intensity
Create a timeless trousseau with these heritage sarees
Embroidery and needlework is a craft that instantly works as an identifier for a particular region or nation, whether it is the chikankari of Lucknow, zari work of Banaras or the bright and geometric Cossack stitches of the Russian region. In India, we are blessed to have a multitude of regional influences on sarees that have often given their place of origin a distinct identity. With time and the coming in of industrialisation, most of these woven pieces of art are
Bandhani – the Royal Colours of the Desert
Bandhani, or tie-and-dye, is a craft that is popularly practised all over India. There are Bandhani centres in Gujarat, Punjab and Tamil Nadu (where the craft is known as Sungudi), but for all practical purposes, Rajasthan is most popular as the region for the best Bandhani in India. Binds of Bandhani Bandhani is a way of decorating fabric by plucking the cloth with the fingernails into many tiny bindings and dyeing the cloth after that to form motifs using the tied dots. With
Rajasthan’s Virasat Gets its Own Museum in Jaipur
Rajasthan is one of India's most visited states–by international as well as domestic tourists. This is not only because of the state's colourful traditions and places, but also its rich cultural heritage. One of the hidden gems of Jaipur is the not very well-known (unfortunately) and recently opened Museum of Legacies or Virasat Museum. I discovered this vast space on a recent visit to the city. With nearly 64 big and small rooms with two large halls and is four-storied on the