It’s the arrival of the East India Company and the end of Mughal rule that tends to overshadow our memories of what we learnt about 17th and 18th century India in school. Textbooks focus on wars and victories but what survives and continues to amaze us centuries later is the art of the past. Our cover story is about a tranche of paintings that lay in a tin trunk for centuries before a trio of writers discovered it in a dingy room in Udaipur. The miniature paintings, created by artists from the Mewar dynasty about 300 years ago, show the entire Mahabharat in stunning detail. It’s not just the scenes of war and court life that have been painted but the philosophy of the Gita too, which is what makes it unique.
Like all great art, the paintings tell us about how we lived, who we were, and how syncretic society was—miniature art was patronised by both Muslim and Hindu kings, many of the artists were Muslim, and they painted scenes from all religions and daily life. This is also a story of a living art tradition—many young artists in Udaipur still paint in this style while incorporating modern elements and media into their work.
On a different note, the Asian Games begin today after a particularly dismal year for Indian sport—individual sportspersons shone but organisers and administrators haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory. We examine the individual brilliance of athletes, whether Neeraj Chopra in javelin or Lovlina Borgohain in boxing, weigh India’s chances at the Games, and ask how long it will be before the government truly throws its weight behind our sportspersons.
In another piece, author and film-maker Nasreen Munni Kabir shares exclusive excerpts from her extensive interviews with actor Dev Anand, who would have turned 100 later this month—and it could help you put together a watchlist of the legendary actor’s films. If you want a list of places to bookmark for future visits, our story on cocktails inspired by cities and their residents is a great read.
Write to the Lounge editor at shalini.umachandran at @htlive.com
@shalinimb
