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TBI Heritage: A Glimpse Into The Rock-Cut Art of Elephanta Caves

This is not a story in the true tradition of The Better India. This is not a tale of inspiration or a reason to celebrate human courage or spirit of innovation. This is a call to action. We will be doing this from time to time. So that we do not become too complacent. So [...]

November 9, 2012 / 1 Comment / Read More

TBI Heritage: Acoustic Traditional – Preserving Indigenous Tales, Myths and Legends

October 22, 2012 1 Comment

India is estimated to have about 635 indigenous communities. Each of these groups of people have a unique identity, with their very own brand of culture, traditions and folklore. Unfortunately, most of this knowledge is passed on from generation to generation in the oral form, and in the face of dwindling tribal population, advent of modern education and widespread displacement in the name of development, most of this ancient wisdom is getting eroded. This is where a group of individuals calling themselves Acoustics Traditional are making an effort to preserve the precious heritage.

TBI Photo Essay: The Varied Hues of Indigenous Art in India

July 20, 2012 No Comment

Elegant black stone pottery from Manipur. Karnataka’s intriguing Chittara paintings. The intricate weaves and stitches of Kashmir. These were some of the items on display and sale at the annual Craft Mela (fair) hosted by Kala Madhyam, a Bangalore based non-governmental organization (NGO) that promotes traditional artisans and their work. This colourful fiesta was held [...]

India Untravelled: See The Real India

March 29, 2012 No Comment

Mahatma Gandhi once said “India’s way is not Europe’s, and India lives in seven hundred thousand villages.” To know India one has to know it’s villages, the way of life there – the culture, the traditions and the festivals. The kind of diversity that exists is unimaginable. With the new wave of rural tourism, these [...]

Mysore Ganjifa: Reviving a Forgotten Art Form

October 12, 2011 No Comment

In search of Ganjifa and the Artist “Ganjifa” is the name given to an ancient Indian card game. Historically this game is believed to have been brought to India and popularised during the Moghul period. Quite aptly the name Ganjifa comes from the Persian word “Ganjifeh” which means playing cards. The speciality of these cards [...]

De Kulture: Reviving and Repackaging Traditional Folk Music of India

September 19, 2011 No Comment

Sufi Kalam, Swang Nritya, Terah Taali, Waai, Rasudo, Jangad, Kaafi – if you haven’t heard most of these words before you will definitely appreciate the need for this venture. They are just some of the fast-disappearing forms of traditional folk music you will get to listen to, download and purchase from De Kulture. In addition, [...]

Varanasi: Where liberation starts with a well-made paan

September 6, 2011 6 Comments

So where are my countrymen? I’m in foggy Delhi, finally boarding a flight to Varanasi/Benares/Kashi. And my co-passengers seem to originate entirely from Coloradoor Japan. A polite, professorial type is thoughtfully touching a dog-eared translation of the Upanishads. A pretty woman from Liverpoolcarefully adjusts her spotless white kurta as she settles down next to me. [...]

The Village Store: Bringing the urban market to rural India

August 10, 2011 3 Comments

Backpacking through India, Vinay Kumar G. realised that a rural artisan suffers most because of the lack of direct access to markets. More often than not, the products exchange hands of three or four middlemen who pocket all the profits. As the supply of such village based products is more than the demand, the artisans [...]

[Video] ‘The Musalman’: India’s Only Handwritten Newspaper

July 11, 2011 No Comment

‘The Musalman’ is India’s (and possibly the world’s) only handwritten newspaper. Started in the year 1927 in Chennai, the newspaper is handwritten in Urdu by skilled calligraphers. It is this love of its team for calligraphy and the Urdu language that keeps the newspaper going. This 4-page newspaper is published daily by a team of [...]

A Tour of the 1000 Pillar Temple at Warangal

May 2, 2011 1 Comment

This is a chronicle of my recent visit to the historic Warangal (ancient Orugallu). The Orugallu Fort and Veyyi Stambhala Gudi (Thousand Pillar Temple) have history, architecture and sculpture and are probably among the best of Indian temples. The Kakatiya dynasty, which ruled Andhra region from 750 AD – 1325 AD – for 575 years, [...]