Like the brush-wielding masters of the Mughal courts, they’ve made a career out of painting miniatures that explore themes of history, culture and identity. The Singh Twins take Huzan Tata through their inspirations and intricate canvases.
Two British siblings of Indian descent travel across continents in a home-made caravan. They enter the nation of their ancestors from the Wagah border in Pakistan, and slowly experience its vast culture first-hand — an odyssey that changes their lives forever. This isn’t the plot of a Hindi film, but the true story of Amrit and Rabindra Kaur Singh, known to the world as the Singh Twins.
Born in London and having lived in Liverpool since their childhood, the sisters were first exposed to Indian miniatures on this journey that they took as teenagers. The experience was a “turning point” in their lives, and they chose to make a career out of the form. “That trip was quite an adventure. It showed us the richness and beauty of Indian culture in all its diversity, as we spent one year travelling around the country, visiting cities, villages, towns, historical and religious sites, museums and galleries. It deepened our sense of identity and pride in India. We were disappointed to see how contemporary art seemed to be neglecting tradition in favour of modern and Western role models. This motivated our desire to make the style relevant for current audiences through our own work,” say the pair.
Born into a large Sikh family, the duo grew up with traditional customs, values, and a proper convent education. Their decision to take up miniatures was reinforced during their days at university, where their preferred style was met with negativity. They remained determined, however, seeing it as a means to counter this cultural prejudice against Indian art. “Our continued development of the style could provide a way of highlighting and redressing this — rather than bowing to the dictates of our tutors who wanted us to look to the West instead,” they explain.
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Denne historien er fra July 2016-utgaven av Verve.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Making Amends
This generation’s penchant for thoughtless consumption gets Madhu Jain roiled up, and she wonders if nature is getting its own back for our missteps…
Diamonds With Provenance
In keeping with the company’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility, Anisa Kamadoli Costa, chief sustainability officer at Tiffany & Co. and chairman and president at The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, enlightens Shirin Mehta on the efforts that make the jewellery giant an industry leader in transparency
SARTORIAL ECONOMICS
Sisters Tashi and Tara Mitra demonstrate to Akanksha Pandey how deviating from the mainstream can bend the way we think, live and dress
NOTES TO SELF
An anthropomorphized tiger’s perspective, a viscerally worded futuristic interpretation of loss, a critique of performative activism, a meta reflection on the earth’s crises. Told through different lenses, Janaki Lenin, Indrapramit Das, Keshava Guha and Roshan Ali’s stories — written exclusively for Verve — attempt to make sense of the fraught reality that we exist in today
The Eternal Optimist
As Generation X and xennials grapple with fully transitioning to conscious living, young millennials and Generation Z are leading the charge to reverse human-caused environmental damage. Sahar Mansoor, founder and CEO of the Bengaluru-based zero-waste social enterprise Bare Necessities, has a simple overarching philosophy: consume less and stay positive. Verve gets deeper into the mindset of the action-oriented earth advocate
Redemption SONGS
Indian music festivals have been demonstrating a refreshing sense of responsibility in terms of their ecological impact. Interacting with stakeholders who strive to make these large-scale events greener, Akhil Sood investigates the reasons behind the improved attitudes of audiences and the increase in corporate support.
earth hour
Crafted using nature’s elements, these dials draw inspiration from the many heterogeneous materials and hues around us.Verve turns its lens onto a mesmerising few
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Children are holding adults accountable for both the grim future they are facing and the toll this is taking on their mental health. Madhumita Bhattacharyya initiates conversations with families of young climate activists and observes the extent to which parenting has changed in the face of catastrophe
NATURAL JUSTICE
Most of us are only just waking up to the urgency of climatic action. When the stakes are so high, what can individual action solve? Mridula Mary Paul, an environmental policy expert, is proof of the tenacity needed to effect systemic change. It’s not glamorous, and the rewards are few and far between, but that doesn’t stop her from aiming big, finds Anandita Bhalerao
Along For The Ride
Navigating Indian streets as a woman is hard enough. But what is it like while riding a bicycle? Bengaluru-based Shreya Dasgupta, a regular cyclist, speaks to five urban women about the pros and cons of this increasingly popular means of transport.
