The influence of Victorian costuming is evident in many silhouettes adapted by the Indian princely states during the Raj era. From the mandatory gloves which had to be worn, while offering courtesy to the visiting monarch during the Delhi Durbar,…
Shubhangana and Veerangana Jamnia’s brand, Dor, is not only keeping the legacy of craft alive,but also promoting sustainable clothing and supporting rural development. “While many 15-year-olds were chasing their medical or engineering dreams, I was fascinated by the Arthashastra, an…
Namrata Singh’s versatile jewellery is created with her innate and inherited sense of design and seeks to showthat the definition of ‘royal’ jewellery is not set in stone. “The noble and royal families of India, especially the Rajputs, very consciously adapted…
Royal families in India have been known for patronising distinct art forms and nurturing legendary palace studios. It is their patronage which went on to produce renowned artists like Raja Ravi Varma and Nihal Chand. The royals’ tryst with opulent…
It is a symbol of Rajput festivity, the only ensemble the bride will ever wear. Even if she can well afford and order a lehenga from the Sabyasachi Atelier, the Rajput bridal ensemble Poshak is the most poetic of all…
For Kunwar Hemendra Singh of Bhainsrorgarh, the kitchen is his playground. With his passion for cooking and his meticulousness towards serving his guests authentic flavours, he is keeping the rich legacy of Marwari cuisine alive. From the distant fort of…
She is a perfect blend of a rooted Rajput who was brought up as an independent-minded, career-oriented and cosmopolitan woman. Someone who grew up between colonial Kolkata and gracious Jaipur, only to get married in the power capital of New…
The wedding of Rigvedita Deo, daughter of the Mahurkar family, with Raj Ratna Pratap Deo, scion to the royal state of Nagar Untari, Jharkhand, was both grand and traditional. The Maratha royals or the Maratha Confederacy were a conglomerate of…
Nandini Singh, Alkarani Singh and Kamini Singh—of three different royal families—are not just helping and protecting the poor but also providing them with a livelihood by promoting their crafts. The pandemic has left each one of us vulnerable and gripped…
A visit to her studio, workshop and you will be enthralled by the many wooden blocks that fill her roof. It’s an asbestos roof, which is lined with blocks, etched by hand, over a thousand of them. Each one a…