To Touch My Hero
Hero worship is a BIG thing for me. To dream about meeting them and listening to them and following their footsteps and imbuing a part of their spirit. But mostly, … Continue reading
The Fabulous Biboki weaving of Timor!
Double Sided supplementary weft (or warp?) weave from the Biboki people of Timor. An antique example: A betel nut bag: A vintage example: And a fantastic paper … Continue reading
Understanding the Y – Women not allowed in Sabarimala Temple
It is easy to rake up activism simply for the sake of it. After all we have all been raised on inspirational sayings like “be the change you want to … Continue reading
A New Museum with a Fabulous Fresh Focus!
A museum or rather an institution that focuses on perpetuating the art amongst the creators … a museum in which the creators can see and learn from the work of … Continue reading
The Hunger of an Unfulfilled Dream – Mughal Ganjifa Cards
Years ago, in 2006, I met a friend from high school. We used to be very close in school as only girls can be. And then life happened and we … Continue reading
WHY I travel
A note on the ‘Why’ of travel – by a woman who lived a hundred years ago and traveled solo in those days [with servants]
Fundraiser Talk: Marriage Traditions of Asia
Seema Shah has organised a fundraiser in Singapore to launch her individual effort in support of the Maitri Foundation that takes care of abandoned widows. The token charge of … Continue reading
Thoughts on Collecting
Last week someone asked me how do I go about selecting / rejecting pieces. I thought and answered but this is not an easy question and the thinking continues… Instead … Continue reading
Hair Ornaments from Asia
Just some photos! Lambani People Silver Braid Ends – that take at least an hour to fix! And help is needed from other women – mother-in-law or sister in law … Continue reading
Protective Spirits from the Past
There are Dayak Baby Carriers and then there are Dayak Baby Carriers. Spirits in some recent ones are wearing clothing and jewelry – like vests and underwear! Maybe it … Continue reading
An Affluent Community Endangered?!
Parsis or Zorastrians number only about 75000 worldwide and in spite of being one of the most affluent communities in the world, they are an endangered ethnic group. They have … Continue reading
Textiles in Ancient Balinese Paintings
Life is full of choices and the worst challenges are choosing between two bad choices or between two good choices. Shall I buy a painting or a textile? Shall I … Continue reading
The Math of Threads – The Threads of Math
An interesting article in the New York Times that gives us a peep into a world of using threads to keep count! Untangling an Accounting Tool and an Ancient Incan … Continue reading
A Romance Unfolds through Art
A love story in an old Bracelet from Qajar Persia. Miniature Paintings on Bone some Gold illuminated, others, copper illuminated!!! Very pretty, very detailed paintings. The story is told … Continue reading
Side Effects of Religion
With the world slowly going crazy and the use of religion as a platform to justify it all, it is natural that there are discussions everywhere on this provocative subject. … Continue reading
A Precious Package for a Precious Bundle – Dayak Baby Carrier
One more precious carrier for a precious baby! Over a dozen types of trade beads, some extremely fine, some multicolored, some from one of the 3 groups of mutisalah beads, … Continue reading
Lambanis Celebrating Life – Festive Dance
Ceremonial Dance of the Lambani group
Rare Textiles from Tiny Tribes
Presenting two textiles from really small protected tribes in Orissa, Eastern India. I have seen these worn by the people there but not on sale anywhere. Both were acquired directly … Continue reading
The Kiss of a Komodo Dragon
The concepts of mythology was always one that could not explain itself. For, ideas like dragons and demons (and flying chariots) were always written off by the modern world as … Continue reading
Superb Colors on Antique Singaraja Textile – Available for Sale
When a place is introduced through somethings produced in that region, chances are that that association lasts for a long time. When a dealer informed me that such and such … Continue reading
