Eminent art historian and curator Alka Pande’s recent set of 14 collectible books, 108 Portraits of Indian Culture and Heritage, puts the spotlight on 14 disciplines ranging from art, architecture, objects, crafts and more. The immersive collection set is an encyclopedic work examining the development and history of Indian visual culture through various eras of history to the contemporary world.
The set of books features a comprehensive historical, cultural and visual exploration of subjects ranging from objects, dance, food, architecture, printmaking, crafts and music to photography, sculpture, design, traditional art, textiles, modern and contemporary art and vernacular and indigenous art. Sprinkled with anecdotal personal stories, the subject of each book unfolds in a visual and textual story of 108 narratives. Each book comes with a takeaway – in the form of a recipe, a masterclass, or an insightful read.
For instance, 108 Portraits of Indian Crafts delves into the beauty of glazed pottery of the Indus Valley civilisation and takes readers through the craftsmanship of varied Indian states. It probes the designs of utilitarian objects and examines how they are both functional and pieces of aesthetic art. In 108 Portraits of Indian Food, Pande takes readers through a compelling journey of food in literature and painting, exploring the broader culture of food across the globe. She takes readers on a fascinating exploration of several costume styles in 108 Portraits of Indian Textiles.
In 108 Portraits of Indian Music, Pande traces a range of styles, including the contributions of Amir Khusro to Qawwali, Swami Haridas and Tansen to Dhrupad, ancient Sanskrit and Tamil treatises, Purandaradasa and the renowned ‘Trinity’ to Carnatic music, Pandit Bhatkhande’s treatise on Hindustani classical music, and Rabindra Sangeet.
Below are excerpts from a conversation between Pande and Neha Kirpal. They have been lightly edited for style and clarity.
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What was your idea and inspiration behind putting together your latest set of 14 collectible books, 108 Portraits of Indian Culture and Heritage?
It resulted from my 30 years of teaching, first in Punjab University and then 10 years at the College of Art, New Delhi, NIIFT Mohali, the DJ Academy of Design, Coimbatore, and NID Ahmedabad.
What I realised after three decades of teaching was that most students were far removed from Indian aesthetics and philosophy. It was important for them to know and understand the traditional canons of Indian art. Only then could there be a complete understanding of traditional modern and contemporary Indian art.
by Dr Alka Pande, designer Ujan Dutta et al (Arthshila Trust)
India has a unique ecosystem of visual arts and culture. And it is extremely important for our artists, and the progress of the Indian visual practice, to fully understand our significant and key traditional texts.
Keeping this in mind, I developed a set of 14 books across 14 disciplines, in which I felt confident enough to be a catalyst and a sutradhar or commentator.
These books have comprehensive content deliberately written in a non-academic style. These books also provide a comprehensive reading list for those who wish to delve or probe deeper [into the subjects]. Each book has a physical takeaway and provides an immersive aesthetic experience.
These books are like taste multipliers and will help enrich the palette and serving of the veritable moving feast which Indian culture and heritage has to offer.
What was your process to pin down the 14 disciplines ranging from art, architecture, objects, crafts, photography, dance, objects, music, printmaking, food, sculptures, design, textiles, crafts, etc.?
The diversity and plural culture of India is represented through the uniqueness of the production of the most beautiful objects, buildings and crafts. All the 14 books that I’ve written represent the key aspects of the essence of what is Indian culture and heritage.
Why I took these 14 disciplines is because these come under the wide umbrella of art history. Since I’m a trained art historian and have taught art history and aesthetics to a wide range of students from fashion designers to product designers, photographers, fine art students and artist historians, I felt comfortable enough to take the reader through my personal understanding of these 14 disciplines.
Potraits of Indian craft by Alka Pande
The process was quite simple. I began with a preface which was more like a preamble that lays down the voice of the book. For example, the sculpture book was important for me because my PhD was based around the manifestations of Shiva, with a special reference to sculptures. The topic of my research was based on the concept of Ardhanarishvara. I saw the numerous styles and disciplines of Indian sculpture from Indus Valley right up to the millennium statue. The materiality, stylistic influences, technical skill, and plasticity of sculpture – all contributed to my understanding of the art form. I also discussed my own journey with sculpture.
Then, each book contains a detailed essay that discusses the history of that discipline. As mentioned earlier, it spans from the Indus Valley bronze statuette to the millennium statue, covering the entire period from pre-modern to contemporary sculpture, including medieval and modern eras, up to the present times. One hundred and eight is a sacred number in Indian philosophy. I included 108 images with detailed captions, explaining the various aspects involved in the making of Indian sculpture.
At the end of the book, I aim to provide an aesthetic experience. The book also has a takeaway and a reading list that will help the reader choose if he or she wants to go further or just be happy with understanding Indian sculpture in the book.
So this was my process – right from my own experiential journey to a more detailed, almost academic, essay to a more communicative format – because both images and text make an interesting story. Then, the relevance of 108, and the immersive experience of a physical takeaway. Some books feature an immersive experience via a QR code, which links to either a website or a performance. For instance, in Dance [Potraits of Indian Dance Forms]. Finally, each book concludes with a detailed reading list.
Give us an idea about the vast research of five years that went into its making.
The five-year research was actually a gathering of all the information, i.e, my research over the last 30 years of my teaching. Five years went into the making [of the books]. The research actually took much more time.
It began from the time I pursued my MA and continued through my teaching career. Throughout this period, I engaged in continuous reading and upgrading of knowledge to enhance my understanding. The five years dedicated to research involved collecting and sifting through vast amounts of information, adding new insights, unpacking dense knowledge, and collecting suitable quotes from Sanskrit.
What was important in these five years was the specificity with which I looked at these 14 disciplines. I looked at these disciplines through the lens of Indian aesthetic. [This is] because art history is a western implant into the Indian academic system of learning about art. We, in India, used to have what we call Saundariya Shastra, which is about the appreciation of beauty, and in pre-modern Indian academia, it all emerged from very specific canons, i.e., from the Natya Shastra, the Chitrasutra embedded in the Vishnudharmottara Purana, Sanskrit poetry and literature.
In traditional Indian art, we have canons for everything and these canons are well-documented but they are basically in Sanskrit.
So, I unpacked a lot of those cannons, brought in a lot of information which was easier to access, and pulled it out from important translations.
This is what I was doing in these five years – putting all my research of 30 years in a manner which is easier to communicate and packing it from the density of academia and making it more reader-friendly.
Tell our readers more about the significance of the number 108 in Indian art.
The significance of the number 108 is mentioned in every book. 108 represents the beads of the Akshar Mala, where we engage in Chintan and japas.
These beads hold great importance for us as practising Sanatanis because Chintan or self-reflection is a very important aspect of Indian philosophy.
It is this aspect that goes into the making of traditional art. Incorporating the spiritual dimension rather than the purely religious aspect was important for me. The Sri Yantra, which is an icon of Shiva Shakti, also has 108 power centres in it.
Potraits of Indian music by Alka Pande
How have your childhood impressions and exposures been pivotal in introducing you to the rich and myriad cultures of India?
It is quite incredible how much impact one’s childhood can have on the development of our brain and inclination towards aesthetics. I was exposed to music, dance and the traditional way of living in my childhood. My grandfather was a scholar of Pali, and I spent a lot of time at his house in Meerut. My grandmother was very conversant with the traditional rituals of Kumaon. Since I am a Kumaoni Brahmin, I was also introduced to the rituals of Aipan, which were integral to our festivities. The Aipan or floor patterns are deeply symbolic and specific to each festival.
There are different Aipans for weddings, sacred thread ceremonies, Holi and Diwali. Additionally, my grandmother would draw sacred icons of different gods and goddesses as part of our family festivities. I grew up witnessing the creation of these sacred icons’ floor patterns and interior decorations, which were integral to traditional Indian households of the past.
I also learnt a lot from the rigour of traditional Indian classical music. My mother, a trained musician from the Gwalior gharana, would practice every morning from 5:30 am to 7 am throughout her life until her passing.
I learnt Bharatanatyam from the legendary dancer Yamini Krishnamurthy. For 10 years, I was the music and dance critic for The Tribune in Chandigarh. I interacted with a lot of musicians – folk dancers, folk performers, classical dancers, classical musicians – and wrote about them. Then, I worked as a curator dealing with contemporary Indian artists, meeting them and talking to them. All these things have been a part of my journey from my youth to the time I started writing books. They all came very handy, because the performing arts of India are actually what introduces you to the rich and deep symbolism in Indian culture.
Setting up the Kanha Museum of Art and Life, which was basically about Gond art, taught me a lot. I set up the Sculpture Gallery for the Udaipur City Palace that took me to another world.
Then, it was [due t0] my own kind of interest because I wrote a book on the folk music and instruments of Punjab, which introduced me to a lot of plurality in Punjab, Sufi culture, Sikh culture, Hindu traditions – from the Gurmat Sangeet or Bhakti Sangeet of the Sikhs to the more secular songs of the Mirasis to the folk stories from rural Punjab.
It was through the understanding of the performing arts of India that I learnt so much about the heritage and culture, because we see that even reflected in the architecture and buildings, dynamism, and interdisciplinary aspect of what makes Indian culture and heritage so unique.
Please share a few of your favourite personal anecdotes from the series.
I would say food and objects are two of my favourite books because there’s not so much documented in what you call Indian food.
Potraits of Indian food by Alka Pande
Indian food is a variety of cuisines, ranging from the tribal cultures, the Adivasis as they were known, to folk and the hybridity of Indian cuisine. We’ve had so many people coming in and out of India – so there is influence from Central Asia, Persia, the Mughals, the Dutch, the Portuguese, the French, and the colonial era. Plus, of course, the regional influence. India itself has so many regional variations. Indian cuisine is incredible; there is no homogeneity.
The best of Indian food is in your kitchen. Every woman is an artist because of the way she creates a particular dish, and every household in India, probably, has their own way of creating or recreating a particular dish.
When we were growing up, the snacks we got at tea time were mattris and besan laddoos – very different from the processed snacks being fed to children today. I used to watch my mother spending hours in the kitchen roasting the besan over slow fire and then making us all sit on the floor rolling out the laddoos. I had forgotten all this for a long time. After my mother’s death four years ago, I remembered the laddoos as a gesture of affection and love for my mother. I thought I would keep her memory alive by making the same ladoos.
Now it has become a ritual for me. With the advent and close of winter, I make these laddoos annually and share them with friends and family in remembrance of the wonderful moments basking in my mother’s love.
Published by Arthshila Trust, the paperback edition of each book is priced at Rs 959, while a copy in hardcover is priced at Rs 1,199. The set of 14 books in hardcover is priced at Rs 13,000, and the paperback set is priced at Rs 11,599.
Neha Kirpal is a freelance journalist.