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Time of India
7 days ago
- General
- Time of India
CM inaugurates excavation in Lakkundi
Gadag: With the inauguration of the excavation of the historical site Kote Veerabhadreshwara Temple in Lakkundi by the chief minister, Siddaramaiah , on Tuesday, hopes of getting crucial clues have multiplied among history enthusiasts of the state and nation as well. Meanwhile, the Lakkundi Heritage Area Development Authority is preparing for an open museum on the lines of Warangal in Telangana. CM Siddaramaiah said that the govt is committed to establishing an open museum in Lakkundi. "This village, Lakkundi, was the capital of the Chalukyas, who constructed temples and a fort here. Remnants of these structures have provided historical information. We provided the required funds to unearth historical structures and artefacts, and that is why conservation became possible here," he claimed. He attributed law minister HK Patil's interest as the reason for launching an excavation in Lakkundi. He thanked the residents of Lakkundi who transferred their land and houses, where relics were found, to the govt. It should be noted that Lakkundi is one of the 844 sites notified for protection. Govt departments like tourism, archaeology, museums, and heritage organised a special campaign between Nov 22 to 24 last year to collect relics from the doorsteps of villagers. The campaign collected over 1,500 relics, and they will be displayed in an open museum of 4 acres. The govt announced funds for the museum in the current year's budget. A team of experts already visited Warangal and opined that a museum better than the one in Warangal can be established here. According to Patil, who is also in charge of Gadag district, Lakkundi villagers are very cooperative with the excavation. "Experts have said that if 27 families leave their houses, five temples can be traced. Most of the house owners agreed to give up their properties, and we will provide alternative accommodation to them," he shared. Meanwhile, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) conducted a study and submitted a nomination to get a world heritage tag for Lakkundi. The govt is mulling submitting a request to the International Council on Monuments and Sites to add Lakkundi to the world heritage temporary list. Gadag residentse believe that Lakkundi could become a bigger world heritage site than Hampi if it is excavated and developed properly. The previous excavation was in 2004-05 in Lakkundi, and various important relics were found then.
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Modepu, a chronicle of State's visual art movement, bags Karnataka Lalithakala Academy award
Modepu: Contributions of Late Artists to Modern Art—An Introduction, a publication by Art Kanara Trust, has been selected for the Karnataka Lalithakala Academy Book Award for the year 2022–2023. A release here said the book captures the rich and nuanced history of coastal Karnataka's visual art movement with a special focus on the contributions of artists and pioneers of the past, whose legacies have often remained overlooked. The book documents the lives and works of 34 artists, including Pavanje Gopalakrishnaiah, N.G. Pavanje, Shivarama Karanth, K.K. Hebbar, L.K. Shevgoor, B.G. Mohammad, L.P. Anchan, P.P. Karanth, G.S. Shenoy, Ramadas Adyanthaya, Mohan Sona, among others. Curatorial initiative The book is the culmination of a major curatorial initiative launched in November 2022 by Art Kanara Trust and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) Mangaluru Chapter, in collaboration with the N.G. Pavanje Chair for Visual Arts of Mangalore University. The initiative featured exhibitions of artworks and archival material by 34 artists, held at the Kodialguthu Center for Art and Culture in Mangaluru and Drishti Art Gallery in Udupi with the support of the Artists' Forum. A 243-page volume, researched and authored by artist Janardhan Havanje, was published in February 2023 with foreword by art critic H.A. Anil Kumar. Mr. Kumar emphasised the significance of documenting regional art histories as meaningful alternatives to dominant mainstream narratives. The research, structure, design and editing for Modepu were led by art historian Nemiraj Shetty and artist Rajendra Kedige, trustees of Art Kanara Trust, who served as co-editors. Harish Kodialbail and Reshma S. Shetty organised the exhibitions and coordinated the publication. Intach convener and Trust president Subhash Chandra Basu provided guidance and valuable feedback throughout the publication process. Shenoy Art Foundation, Bengaluru, supported the publication. The award would officially be presented during a felicitation programme on Friday at Ravindra Kalakshetra, Bengaluru.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
VDA to engage INTACH to preserve its docus, maps
Varanasi: The Varanasi Development Authority has decided to engage the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to provide technical assistance for the preservation and maintenance of important records, files and cadastral maps stored for years in its office's record announced on Saturday that, in view of the necessity of preserving old documents and records, including maps, the officer in-charge of archives gave a proposal in this connection. It was tabled before vice-chairman Pulkit Garg and secretary Ved Prakash Mishra. Following this, the process for financial and administrative approval began. Upon receiving approval from the VDA vice-chairman and secretary, a team of experts from INTACH, led by its director Dharmendra Mishra, will survey the current condition of the documents and maps stored in the record room and take necessary actions for their physical preservation. Notably, some of the files to be preserved contain documents dating back to 1950, which are of significant administrative proposed plan also includes provisions for training relevant staff to make the record management system more effective and secure. This training will ensure the organised maintenance of maps and records. Additionally, a scientific system of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) will be implemented. IPM is a comprehensive pest management approach that balances mechanical, physical, biological, and minimal chemical measures as needed to protect documents from termites, insects, mould, and other factors. This method not only ensures the long-term safety of the stored materials but is also environmentally friendly.
Hindustan Times
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Folk musicians of Rajasthan battle landlessness, rising heat in fight to save ancient art
Churu/Meerut, In a noisy roadside restaurant along the Delhi-Haridwar highway, Subhash Nayak sits quietly in a corner, playing his Ravanhatta. The fading notes of the ancient instrument struggle to rise above the hum of passing vehicles and chatter of diners. Dressed in a bright turban and a satin-print waistcoat, Subhash is among the last of the Bhopas traditional priest-singers of Rajasthan who still play the Ravanhatta, a bowed string instrument believed to have been created by the demon king Ravana to worship Lord Shiva. But today, he mostly plays Bollywood songs. "Folk music is my first choice, but people prefer Bollywood songs. They help me earn my bread," he says. Every summer, Subhash and his wife leave their home in Khabarpura village in Rajasthan's Churu district, where temperatures easily cross 45 degrees Celsius, and travel to Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and other towns in Uttar Pradesh to survive. The reason: their 700-year-old art, Pabuji ki Phad, a spellbinding musical performance where Bhopas sing heroic tales of the folk deity Pabuji, is slowly fading away. The heart of this struggle lies in the intersection of two pressing issues: landlessness and climate change. According to Jitendra Sharma from Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage , in Rajasthan, Pabuji is believed to be an incarnation of Lakshman. His story is painted on a cloth scroll called a Phad and folk singers called Bhopas travel from village to village singing and narrating his tale. The Koli community weaves the cloth, while Brahmins paint the pictures. The Raikas, a pastoral community known for extensive camel herding, worship Pabuji because they believe he protects their animals. The Rajputs respect him, as Pabuji himself was a Rathore Rajput. He says the Bhopas, like many nomadic communities, have long depended on land for their livelihood, both as a means of survival and as a source of cultural grounding. Yet, many are landless, which leaves them without access to the basic support structures that can offer them stability, such as housing, water, electricity and government assistance. As their connection to the land weakens, so does their ability to continue the cultural practices that define their identity. At the same time, climate change is exacerbating their plight. The rising heat is making it increasingly difficult for Subhash and his peers to perform or even travel to earn a living. Sitting in a dim, dilapidated rented room in Meerut's Sheikhpura, Amar Singh, another Bhopa from Khabarpura, recalls how elders in the community would perform Pabuji ki Phad during village ceremonies, often under the patronage of wealthy landowners. "Back then, almost every household kept camels. People relied on them and held Phad rituals to heal sick animals and pray for their family's well-being," he says. "Now, camels are gone. Tractors have taken their place. Even those who still rear them do not organise the rituals. We barely recite phad one or two times a year." The audience has also disappeared. The younger generation prefers songs on their phones. "We go from village to village, singing bhajans. People give whatever little they can," Singh says. His children haven't learned the art. "There is no future in it. It doesn't pay. Out of a hundred Bhopa families, only two still perform today." He fears the tradition won't last much longer. "It's slipping away like sand between fingers." Rising heat, he says, has made things worse. "People stay indoors after 10 am. No crowd means no work." With no land or home of their own, Singh says their semi-nomadic community is even more exposed to extreme weather. "You will understand when you see my village," he adds. In Khabarpura village in Churu, his brother Dharampal shows the harsh conditions they endure during the scorching summer. In place of a proper house, there is an asbestos roof resting on four bare walls. There's no electricity connection, so there's no fan. His six-year-old son, running a fever, lies on a jute sack spread across the floor. The tiny room has just one window, a plastic water drum, two trunks, some clothes on a cot and a few utensils. It's 1:30 pm and the temperature has reached a maximum of 43 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD's Mausam app. IMD data also shows that nine out of the 10 highest maximum temperatures in Churu have been recorded in the last 15 years, with all observations exceeding 48 degrees Celsius. Last year, the district recorded the highest temperature of 50.5 degrees Celsius on May 29, an all-time high since record-keeping began in 1956. The state recorded 11 heatwave days this April, compared to the normal four to seven days. Climate experts say rising temperatures in Rajasthan are being driven by climate change. "Rajasthan, being a desert state, is naturally hotter than other parts of the country. But temperatures are rising even further across different regions. We are witnessing more heatwave days and warmer nights," said Abhiyant Tiwari, Lead - Climate Resilience and Health at NRDC India. "Migration is often linked to better livelihood opportunities and improved living conditions, including thermal comfort. But to understand how rising heat is affecting this ancient art form, we need more ethnographic studies," he adds. Sumit Dookia, associate professor at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and a native of western Rajasthan, says the old social fabric of the state once supported many landless communities that kept ancient art forms alive. The Bhopas were among them. "Back then, wealthy landowners patronised these artists. Today, that support is gone. And without land of their own to farm, the Bhopas are forced to leave their villages just to survive," he said. Outside Dharampal's house, under a Khejri tree, 16 earthen pots, some broken, lie scattered. Only a few hold water. Nearby, a traditional well used to store rainwater for daily needs is dry. The rainfall here is erratic and the future uncertain. The government has been working to provide tap water to every household under the Jal Jeevan Mission. But without land ownership, the community is left out. "Without land ownership, the government cannot give them a house. And without a house in their name, they cannot get electricity or tap water connections," says Narendra, a local resident who has helped many of them apply for houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin . Under PMAY-G, landless beneficiaries are given high priority and it is the responsibility of states and Union territories to provide land for such individuals for house construction. Village Development Officer Manju Choudhary says the gram panchayat does not have any land that could be given to landless communities for house construction under PMAY-G. "A proposal to convert common pasture land into gram panchayat land has already been sent to the state government but approval is pending," she says. As of March, out of 55,722 identified landless beneficiaries in Rajasthan, 54,641 have been provided land or assistance for land purchase. However, families like Dharampal's remain excluded. Dharampal remembers a time, 20 to 25 years ago, when life was better. Their parents would perform Pabuji ki Phad up to ten times a month, earning between ₹2,000 and ₹5,000 each time. "We did not have land or a house, but we had enough to eat," he says. Today, it is a different story. Sitting on a cot beside the empty pots, his 60-year-old mother Shanti says, "Life would change if we had patta to build a home and access to electricity and water."
The Hindu
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Award-winning artists to exhibit their work in Mangaluru from May 5 to 14
The Mangaluru chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), in association with Art Kanara Trust, will organise an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Karnataka Lalithakala Academy award-winning artists. Titled 'Contemplations and Dialogue', the exhibition will be held from May 5 to 14 at the Kodialguthu Centre for Art and Culture, G. G. Road, Ballalbagh. The exhibition features works by three Mangaluru-based artists – Veena Srinivas, Syed Asif Ali and Rajendra Kedige – who were recently honoured by the academy for their significant contributions to the field of visual art. Ms. Srinivas presents her contemporary interpretation of the traditional art form Kavi Kale. Mr. Ali showcases a series of water colour landscapes while Mr. Kedige exhibits abstract compositions rooted in geometric forms. An exclusive preview of the exhibition will take place on May 4 at 5.30 p.m. in the presence of artist and film-maker Madhusudan Kumar. The exhibition will be open to the public daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., till May 14.
