The above is a lovely example of a painted scroll or pat—a traditional Bengali art form usually consisting of ten panels. These are unfolded vertically, accompanied by songs by wandering painter-performers (who interestingly each have a Hindu and Muslim name). To this day, there are patuas in Bengal—who are a patidara or a chitrakara (picture-maker) by caste. Examples of this traditional art are part of the ‘Babu and the Bazaar’ exhibit in Delhi. This excerpt from an accompanying book has more on its history.
SANITY BREAK MAY 22 2O23
100 for the Ocean is a unique fundraiser that uses the proceeds of images taken by 100 top photographers worldwide to fund under-recognised ocean-focused NGOs. We picked a lovely photo of a mama polar bear and her cubs—there are other stunning images in the collection here.
SANITY BREAK MAY 25 2O23
Check out the ‘Monkey Cap Rap’—a true gem in music-making from Nikhil Kini—a former food show host—who clearly possesses hidden talents.
SANITY BREAK MAY 26 2O23
The demi-god of Carnatic music—Sanjay Subrahmanyan—dropped a new song for Coke Studio titled ‘Urudhi’. It is seriously good stuff—and you don’t need to understand Tamil to appreciate it.
