By Dr. Sonal Mansingh

From the expansiveness of collective consciousness to the privacy of life’s travails is not an easy transition, yet Sonal Mansingh in the chapter called ‘Dwijaa’ (twice born) bravely describes her period of critical illness in Germany and Canada. A highway accident left her nearly paralysed, so much so that she was given a choice between a surgery where the outcome was unknown and a bed-based recovery where too the outcome was unknown. She instinctively chose the latter, and with the help of a medical team in Montreal,


Reviewed by: Malashri Lal
By Shalini R. Ayyagari

his book conceptualizes the musicians’ attempted negotiation and intermingling of the two value systems, feudal and neoliberal—the former requiring them to be subdued and localized and the latter competitive and entrepreneurial—as resilience, a concept theoretically established in several disciplines including ethnomusicology, but one Ayyagari also aptly translates from the indigenous term ‘lachila’.


Reviewed by: Spandita Das
By Tarun Tahiliani

It is exciting that these days, exhibitions of India in the West are not just of objects from our museums but of contemporary Indian design, be it the one on the ‘Offbeat Sari’ in London recently, or the ‘Fabric of India’ a few years earlier. Dastkar was fortunate to develop products for the ‘Handmade in India’ exhibition hosted by the Crafts Council of UK.


Reviewed by: Laila Tyabji
Compiled and edited by Lakshmi Swaminathan. Foreword by Satish Kumar

Traditional wisdom had to observe what was at hand and to learn what did or did not harm…there are no universal rules…in all ancient traditions, they honour the elements…water is Apanswarupa. She sustains all being…Water is a divine gift.


Reviewed by: Rafiq Kidwai
By Anita Bharat Shah

It is always fascinating to read about the meaning underlying the imagery in Nathdwara paintings. For instance, the different aspects of shringara are related to the season and time of the day, and the rasa that they choose to evoke, leading to ultimate ananda in devotees. Shringara of Shrinathji features an essay by Amit Ambalal, which gives a comprehensive view of the symbolism in the painting related to the Pushtimarg tradition.


Reviewed by: Avantika Bhuyan
By Reema Desai Gehi. Foreword by Krishen Khanna

A new biography by journalist Reema Desai Gehi provides a long overdue examination of the cultural arbiter. Gehi conducted extensive research, delving into archival material, interviewing people who knew Rudy, visiting his friends and family in Europe, to piece together a portrait of the man who did so much to support the artists who forged a new visual arts language in the early 20th century.


Reviewed by: Gayatri Rangachari Shah