Kalidasa once said: Creepers and artists need support. Let me refresh your memory. The Gupta rule (4th -5th century) saw the rise of Kalidasa, a classical Sanskrit and Prakrit author, easily considered one of the greatest poet and playwright of ancient India. His plays and poetry are primarily based on Hindu Puranas and philosophy. His […]Read More
Benoy K Behl In the high Himalayan mountains is the verdant valley of Kashmir. Amidst its great natural beauty, the thoughts of man have constantly turned to the wonder of creation. Since early times, Kashmir has been a renowned centre of Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. It is here that the Indian philosophy of aesthetics was […]Read More
Benoy K Behl In the 13th century, in Odisha on the eastern coast of India, was made a grand temple dedicated to Surya, the Sun. It was the tallest and most magnificent temple made in India, the climax of 800 years of building structural stone temples. It was built by King Narasimhamahadeva I of the […]Read More
Team L&M Come October 18, and all roads will lead to the India International Centre (IIC) New Delhi. The centre is holding the 20th edition of its annual festival of arts, The IIC Experience: A Festival of the Arts, from October 18 to 22, 2024 on the theme Kalpavriksha: The Nationalist Movement – Freedom and […]Read More
One is in the official state of Lord of the Universe literally, Jagannath! He is everywhere. Even in the lift, as in photo below, one can see the devotion. The beauty of Odiya culture is its total surrender to Lord Jagannath through flowers, food and fan club of the lord. On every table, in most homes […]Read More
Though Saharanpur happens to be well industrialised city, known for the paper industry, Tobacco production with ITC (Indian Tobacco Industry’s) manufacturing plant, sugar mills, sand and stone works, nothing beats the wood carving handicraft works from the city. For all practical purposes, calling Saharanpur as the woodcraft or wood handicraft capital of the country wouldn’t […]Read More
Benoy K Behl After over a thousand years of rock-cut shrines in India, structural stone temples, in grand and developed styles, were made by the 8th century. The southern form was seen in Tamil Nadu under the Pallavas. Under the early Western Chalukyas, both southern and northern forms were seen at Pattadakal and Alampur. In […]Read More
Team L&M “VIRAASAT”, a fortnight long exhibition dedicated to celebrating 10th National Handloom Day began at Handloom Haat in Janpath on Saturday, August 3, 2024. National Handloom Development Corporation Ltd (NHDC) is organising the handloom expo under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India which will conclude on August 16, 2024. The […]Read More
Benoy K Behl The rock-cut caves of ancient India, carved out of the hard rock of mountains, are among the greatest body of the monuments of mankind. It is amazing to see the scale and grandeur of these, as well as the sophisticated and detailed sculpture within them. From the time of Emperor Ashoka in […]Read More
When parents name their new borns, often there is astrological, family or social realities to consider. I was originally named Arvind, after Sri Aurobindo. My eyes were like buttons and stood out, hence Arvind meaning eyes ( like lotus). Lochan got added! Why? The story comes in a while. How good ideas and bad names […]Read More