HT Picks; New Reads
On the reading list this week is an intimate portrait of a city with a troubled past and an unsettled present, a book of tales from the Mahabharata that delivers instructions on life, death and everything in between, and a volume that presenting a lesser known aspect of Indian art history
Of identity and belonging
Sirinagar (as it’s pronounced in Kashmiri), the capital of Paradise on Earth, is known for its lush green valley and picturesque lakes, but also for its troubled past and unsettled present. Founded in 250 BCE by the Buddhist king Ashoka, Srinagar’s chequered history is one of conquest and centuries of foreign rule, characterized by both indulgence and neglect. In independent India, the state’s troubled geopolitics, the growth of tehreek (armed insurgency) since 1989, and the tumultuous quest for azaadi have turned it into one of the most heavily militarized regions in the world. In City as Memory, Sadaf Wani draws from her childhood experiences in the mid-90s amidst a waning insurgency movement and increasing militarization, as well as her adolescence in the early 2000s during deadly cycles of violence in the wake of civilian protests, to explore how Kashmir’s turbulent history deeply intertwines with memories of home for its people. Wani explores the beating heart of the city through stories of personal remembrance and scholarship, examining questions of identity and belonging to craft an intimate portrait of Srinagar. Her portrayal illuminates the deep wounds on the spatial, temporal, and emotional landscape of this city of contradictions — where scenic views of the Dal Lake coexist with smoke from tear gas.*
Moral lessons from the Mahabharata
How did Brahma create alluring women, and for what purpose? Why did the righteous King Bhangashvana choose womanhood? How did the sage Markandeya’s pupil prevent his guru’s wife from committing adultery? What role did Indra play in the births of Vishvamitra and Parashu Rama? How were death, diseases, desire and anger created? Why and how did the institution of kingship come about? What can one learn from the mouse who escaped the cat, the owl, the mongoose and the hunter; or the wise jackal who was betrayed by the lion king? Why did Shiva swallow Shukra, the guru of the Asuras?
Embedded within the lengthy discourse on dharma in the Shanti and Anushasana Parvas of the Mahabharata are answers to a whole range of such questions — moral lessons from a dying Bhishma to King Yudhishthira, on life, death and everything in between. The Dharma of Unfaithful Wives and Faithful Jackals is a highly entertaining selection of these tales — tangled at times, insightful at others, yet always quirky — about women, both good and bad, fathers and sons, kings, gods and kings of gods, and fables. The perceptive translations by Wendy Doniger, hailed as “the greatest living mythologist”, are a treat for anyone fascinated by the complexity of Hindu myth and lore.*
Pictures from the Raj
An exhibition being held at the DAG Gallery in Windsor Place, New Delhi, until 24th August 2024, features the work of some exemplary artists who painted Indian scenes between the Uprising (1857) and Independence (1947). Unlike, the famous landscape painters of a much earlier era, such as William Hodges and Thomas and William Daniell, who came in search of picturesque views of architecture and landscape, the artists who arrived in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, were more interested in people and society, and scenes of everyday life. They were stylistically varied; and they came from many countries including Germany, Holland, Denmark, France and even Japan, besides Britain. They included Edward Lear, who is still famous for his nonsense poetry and limericks, Olinto Ghilardi, who mentored Abanindranath Tagore, and Japanese artist Hiroshi Yoshida, among others.
They brought to India a fresh aesthetic sensibility. Earlier artists had come with the purpose of opening Europe’s eyes to India’s historic cultures. For Hodges and the Daniells even the Taj Mahal was relatively unknown, as no one had previously depicted it. By the late nineteenth century, travel and tourism had made it a cliché, and new ways of depicting it had to be found. The same goes for the ghats at Benares, and every other well-known site. To these were added new destinations, like the temples and forts of Rajasthan, and the gardens of Kashmir. This volume featuring the works on display at the Destination India exhibition has an introduction by Phiroza Godrej and an essay on Orientalist Painters in India by Giles Tillotson. Wonderfully produced, it presents a lesser known aspect of Indian art history.*
* Matter from book flap and publicity material.
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