This Holiday season, we had various options. In first instance we wanted to go to Shantiniketan, but decided on Bishnupur. This is around 2 hours journey from Asansol by the Asansol-Haldia Express. This is a fully unresearved train and doesn’t require prior reservation. We boarded it at the Burnpur Station at 5.50 AM. The train [...]
Archive of entries posted on December 2004
The Third World
The term Third World was first used by the French economist and demographer Alfred Sauvy in an article published in 1952. He used this term (Tiers Monde) as a parallel to Third Estate (Tiers Etat). As an observer points out, “Sauvy’s term carries not only the connotation of exclusion from power but also, especially from [...]
The A of Theory
Theory is a construct that is a general representation of an actual or constructed truth. When the theory represents an actual, usually recurring, truth or reality it becomes a law. If it does not represent a proved reality, it continues to remain a theory. In such cases we may also find competing theories. eg. we [...]
Cultural Context and Interpretations
Culture gives meaning to our actions and ideas. Any action or idea can have meaning only in a particular cultural context. Waving the hand in a particular context may mean greeting, while in another it may mean a warning or threat. This same thing is also mediated by cultural usages and practices. Cultural difference is [...]
Mughal Period : Art and Architecture
Mughal rule stabilised during the time of Akbar. By that time, Mughals were no longer the strangers, but they had adopted India as their home. The policy of sulh i kul adopted by Akbar became visible in the art forms patronised by the Mughal emperors. This was visible in paintings, music and architecture. Although, Babur [...]
Calcutta and Sourav’s
Recently we went to Calcutta. Apart from some works of importance, we decided that this time we would see the new face of Kokata. Kolkata, as Calcutta is now known is changing and for the good. It is developing both in terms of infrastructure as well as in terms of many newer things. While it [...]
Mughal Painting during Jahangir’s Time
The Mughal emperors were fond of art and culture. They patronised painters, most of whom were Hindus. Due to their patronage, painting under Mughals got a new impetus and also developed into a specialised school of painting with its own distinctiveness. The process started during the time of Akbar but reached greater heights during the [...]
Sufi Movement
Sufi movement emerged during the early medieval times in India with the interaction of the Islamic culture with the Hindu culture. There were different trends of the sufi movement – some were religious and social, some were linked to the rulers and more engaged in promotion of Islam. Establishment of Sultanate led to introduction of [...]
