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Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Owning art is only a click away: Women-led Delhi Art Community auctions paintings on WhatsApp
Amrita Nalwa is excited about buying an artwork for the first time. A school principal in Amritsar, Punjab, Nalwa, didn't need to go to an art gallery. Instead, she bought it on WhatsApp. Women-led Delhi Art Community conducts auction of art on WhatsApp in a new initiative to transform the Indian art market (Photo: Delhi Art Community) "I have always wanted to own art to be put on the wall of my home and passed on to my children when they grow up," says Nalwa, who bought a work of Uttar Pradesh-born contemporary artist Nawal Kishore two months ago. The untitled 8" X 8" 2D installation, acrylic on fibreglass with a 12" X 12" frame, shows two faces, representing yin and yang. "I liked the small art installation. My house is vintage and an ideal place for an artwork," beams Nalwa, who has never bought art before. "I paid about 30,000 rupees for the work. And it was bought on WhatsApp," she adds. "I received a certificate of authenticity with the work." Silent auction benefits first-time buyers of art and little-known artists from remote corners of the country (Photo: Delhi Art Community) Nalwa found Kishore's artwork on WhatsApp, specifically, on a new platform for art buyers founded by three female entrepreneurs from Delhi. Launched last year, the Delhi Art Community (DAC) offers art lovers the opportunity to own works of art from "artists of India", as the founders describe their clientele presented online. Art under virtual hammer Every Tuesday, DAC creates lots, some 25-30 artworks by five to ten artists from across the country, and makes it available to six WhatsApp groups of art lovers, who are then able to participate in its Art Auction on WhatsApp the next day. Each group has 1,000 members, who are able to access the details of the artworks on a PDF file, which has a short synopsis, material, size and minimum bidding price of each work. The bidding takes place on Fridays between 12 pm and 1 pm. Nalwa is among 700 art lovers, most of them first-time buyers, who have bought art from DAC's auction on WhatsApp since it was first introduced in June last year. "We had the 47th lot this week," says Anika Kalra Kalha, who co-founded DAC with her friends Disha Batra and Priyanka Agarwal, all Delhi-based entrepreneurs. Uttar Pradesh-born artist Nawal Kishore's art installation was sold by DAC in May this year to a first-time buyer in Amritsar, Punjab (Photo: Delhi Art Community) "Our aim is to create a community of art buyers and art lovers and bring them to a platform together with 'artists of India'," says Kalha. "At the centre of our community are the artists," she adds. "There is a human touch behind every art. That is why the artist is at the centre." "We want everybody to be an art collector," says Batra, a former senior marketing executive. "A WhatsApp message is sent out every Tuesday, in the form of a PDF, about what is going on auction. The artworks on the lot are selected carefully by our team," she adds. "We are in the process of creating a seventh WhatsApp group." Meeting of art and technology The DAC virtual platform is already pushing ahead of art galleries in scale though not in terms of sale. "Each physical gallery can hold 30-40 artists, but about 15,000 artists have shared their works with our platform from the remotest places of the country so far," says Agarwal, a former journalist. "It is all about technology. Most people open their WhatsApp at least 20 times a day," says Batra. "You can sit at home and become an art collector," she adds. "We are creating new collectors, who are young mothers and working people." "A lot of people are scared of visiting galleries for buying art for fear of not sounding educated about art. There is no fear in sending a WhatsApp message and receiving synopsis and resume of the artist. Any questions can be asked about artists," says Kalha. The DAC, which has its origins in the thinking of its founders to bring artists and art lovers together through technology, has 85,000 followers on social media, including on the Instagram accounts of the three founders. DAC's Art Auction on WhatsApp every Friday has 6,000 members in six WhatsApp groups (Photo: Delhi Art Community) "We showcase artworks to our 6,000 clients on social media. The bidding on WhatsApp always starts below the estimated gallery price for an artwork to create competition among buyers and to help them buy an artwork at unheard of prices," says Kalha. Will the dependence on technology keep the non-digital population away from the art world? "If we can reach many more people, we feel we can bridge the gap between artists and art lovers," explains Kalha. "The mindset of art for the elite has to change. Art is for everybody." Art for the masses "We receive 600 messages from new artists every week who want to be part of the platform," says Agarwal. "The bidding on WhatsApp is a silent process. The minimum bid can be as low as 10,000 rupees," she adds. "We are trying to change the art scene in the country. The art should be accessible and for the masses." The DAC's philosophy of art for the masses include raising the profile of little-known artists, art auction, immersive experience with artists through physical workshops and the creation of a separate Kids Arts Community through workshops for children with artists. "I came to know about DAC through Instagram last year," says Rajendra Kumar Urveti, a Gond artist based in Amarkantak, a pilgrim town in Madhya Pradesh. "It was a time when there was a slump in the sale of works of tribal artists. Since then I have been able to sell small and big Gond paintings on the DAC platform. The prices are good," adds Urveti. Visual artist Seema Kohli (sitting) with Delhi Art Community founders Isha Batra (extreme left), Anika Kalra Kalha (second from right) and Priyanka Agarwal (extreme right) (Photo: Delhi Art Community) "All information about the painting is first sent to DAC, including a video on the artwork. The original work is couriered to DAC once it is sold in the auction," says Urveti, whose works reflect tribal traditions of respect for nature and life. The artists who have participated in DAC's immersive experiences include Delhi-based contemporary artist G R Iranna, a participating artist at the 2016 edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, visual artist Seema Kohli and Telangana-born artist Laxman Aelay.
The Wire
14-07-2025
- General
- The Wire
C.M. Naim's First Day in the US
'I have experienced exploitation and racial prejudice. But thanks to that day I have always managed not to blame some anonymous America for my troubles.' Uttar Pradesh-born scholar and respected expert on Urdu and other South Asian languages, C.M. Naim passed away last week. Below is his piece for The First Days Project of the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA), that shares stories from immigrants and refugees about their first experiences in the US. It was a date in mid-September, 1957, when the Pan Am round-the-world flight I had caught in Calcutta reached San Francisco. There was no one to meet me at the airport; the professor who had invited me to work with him was in the hospital. He had however sent me detailed instructions: I was to take a bus into the city, then two other buses to get to Berkeley, and finally a fourth bus to get to the International House. I was bone-tired, not only from the long journey but also from the three months of uncertainty. The perversity of Indian bureaucracy and an appendectomy that had become complicated as I had rushed around from one office to another had left me drained, both physically and in spirit. I have no memory of how I got through the customs and found the bus to the downtown terminal, which then was just a large hall on a side street where buses gorged and disgorged airline passengers and their baggage. Jostled around by the crowd I somehow managed to find my heavy, unwieldy suitcase, but could not locate the equally stuffed Pan Am airbag. Among other things it contained my degrees and passport, the instructions from my professor, and all my American money, a grand sum of twenty-five dollars. My panic increased as I rushed around, dragging my suitcase with me. If I collided with people, I didn't notice. If they spoke to me, I didn't hear. I didn't know what to do. I had no experience with telephones, nor did I know anyone's phone number to call. All such information was in that bag. As the hall emptied and it became clear that my bag was nowhere in sight, I sat down on a bench and quietly cried. Then the elderly black man whom I had seen helping passengers with their bags and taxis came over and spoke to me. At first I didn't understand him—I had never heard anyone talk that way—but gradually some sense of what he was saying came through to me. He wanted to know why I was crying. He asked me if I needed some help. Somehow I managed to explain my situation—my loss and my not knowing what to do. Neither my accent nor my dilemma seemed to him insurmountable. According to him, the bus that had brought me had also brought a woman who had a vast assortment of bags and parcels with her. He was sure she had unknowingly gone off with my bag too. He assured me it was not a big problem since he knew the cabs that had come that morning, and that he was going to send out a radio call for a particular cab to come back to the terminal. I heard the words but couldn't make any sense of them. I only stared at him with blank eyes. I think he brought me something to drink, then went away to do the 'magic' I had no reason to believe in. When he came back he told me that the cab he believed the woman had taken was a private one, and thus not equipped with a radio. He had, therefore, asked all Yellow Cab drivers to be on the lookout for that cab and send it back to the terminal when located. Needless to say, I had no idea what he was talking about. I sat there, numb with a fear of the unknown. I had no money, no way to contact my professor or find my way to the International House in Berkeley. What was I going to do? After nearly an hour, the old black gentleman came back with a white man, and explained to me that he was the driver of the taxi that took that woman to her hotel and that he was now going to take me to her. I'm sure I didn't believe what he said, but I picked up my suitcase, not letting anyone give me a hand with it, and went with the driver. At the hotel, I wanted to drag my suitcase with me but the cabman made me put it in the trunk. Then we marched up to the Reception and from there to an elevator that rose and rose until it opened on to a corridor of thick carpet and muffled lights. The cabman knocked briskly on a door; then explained to the lady who opened it why we had come. But I had already seen my precious bag in the midst of her suitcases and boxes scattered over the floor. I rushed forward and grabbed it, and zipped it open to show them its contents. My eyes glared: 'Look, this is mine—not yours.' She was flustered. She apologised. We marched out. I don't think I said a word until the driver and I were back in the cab; I then asked him if he could take me straight to the International House in Berkeley. It was on the other side of the Bay, and there were tolls to pay. I showed him the money I had. 'Was it enough?' He nodded, and away we went. Gradually, my senses crept back into me. I began to see the sights, hear the noises, feel the air blowing in. And then suddenly a whole new sense of confidence filled me. There we were, on that amazing bridge, with vast stretches of sun-lit blue water spread underneath us. A powerful machine was speeding me ever so smoothly to a destination that now seemed so certain. The cab no doubt had a roof, but it felt as if there was no barrier of any kind between this world and me. An openness prevailed. The new world held no terror for me any more. I had witnessed a miracle, wrought by a total stranger who had helped me when I had no one to turn to and lost all hope. I gained that day a kind of confidence and feeling of trust that has come to my rescue many a time since then. Not that I have not despaired since that day. I've hit the bottom several times. I have been lonely and angry and terrified, and worse. I have experienced exploitation and racial prejudice. But thanks to that day I have always managed not to blame some anonymous America for my troubles. This essay first appeared on the First Days Project's website. Read the original here. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
NDTV
31-05-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Watch: Tim David, Liam Livingstone Push Young RCB Star Away From Virat Kohli
Royal Challengers Bengaluru young star Swastik Chikara 's fondness for star batter Virat Kohli is making new headlines everyday. The 20-year-old Uttar Pradesh-born batter never fails an opportunity to be around the RCB veteran. Though he is yet to make his debut for the Bengaluru-based franchise, Swastik is making the most of his time with RCB. The Rajat Patidar -led side entered the final of IPL 2025 after brutally thrashing Punjab Kings in the Qualifier 1 match on Thursday in Mullanpur. A video from that day has now gone viral media. In the viral video, Team RCB was seen posing for a photograph before the game with Kohli sitting in the center. Chikhara used the opportunity and stood behind the star batter. However, his teammates Tim David and Liam Livingstone hilariously seized the moment from him. Before the picture got clicked, David pushed Chikara away from Kohli. As he tried to come back, Livingstone pushed him away again and the young batter had to settle in the corner for the photograph. it takes a tim and liam to keep swastik a lil away from kohli that guy is literally a glued to kohli everytime — ss🤍 (@nushstan) May 30, 2025 Talking about the Qualifier 1, put to bat first, the Kings lost early wickets and only managed to post 101 runs on the board, with 35 balls still remaining. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, on the other hand, chased the total in just 10 overs, while giving away only two wickets and securing a place in the IPL 2025 final. "I think we were clear in our plans, how we have to bowl. I think the fast bowlers used the surface really well. The way Suyash chipped in, the way he bowled his lines and lengths, that was really good. As a captain I am clear about his bowling. He has to target the stumps, that's his strength," said RCB skipper Rajat Patidar after the victory. "I always thank RCB fans, not only in Chinnaswamy, but wherever we go we feel it's our home ground. We love you, so keep supporting us. One more game and let's celebrate together," he added.
