MINIATURES FROM THE COURTS OF BUNDELKHAND

This book about miniature painting at the Bundelkhand royal courts of Orchha, Datia and Panna offers fresh insight into the origins of these exquisite paintings. The miniature school of Bundelkhand, which first developed at Orchha, was the earliest and most Indian of all the Rajput schools. At the time of its founding, it was the only one to practise a purely indigenous style of painting, with none of the naturalism of imperial Mughal art. The author’s interpretation and stylistic analysis of over 240 paintings from this collection, many of them published here for the first time, shed light on the school’s development from the late 16th century to the early days of British rule.

The book also introduces readers to the conceptual world of Rajput miniature painting and the rasa aesthetic. The author, Phil Konrad Seitz, is among the most important private collectors of Indian miniature paintings worldwide.

Konrad Seitz

253pp, ~4,500; Niyogi Books

The introduction to For, In Your Tongue, I Cannot

states: “That the pen is mightier than the sword is a phrase easy to mock. As examples from history show, distressingly, swords have killed poets for centuries. It is impossible to list all the poets who have been persecuted, for in many instances, we remember their words not their names. And that is the point – those who wield the sword are reviled... Empires have risen and fallen and national boundaries have changed. But the words of poets have survived, passed from generation to generation through word of mouth, books and, increasingly, the internet.”

Conceived in dialogue with artist Shilpa Gupta’s multimedia installation, this book brings together many of the poets featured in the installations, every one of them persecuted for their words. Much like the installation it is named for, the book is an immersive experience, featuring illustrations and images alongside written pieces.

In the end, this anthology speaks truth to power and is a testament to the community of words.

For, In Your Tongue, I Cannot Fit Edited by Shilpa Gupta,

Salil Tripathi

304pp, ~699; Westland

READ: In this book on nomadic communities, Anthony Sattin constructs an alternative history that challenges notions of the centrality of the Egypt-Greece-Rome empires. He looks beyond monuments to glean the nomadic histories embedded in myths, and explores how migration and movement have shaped societies.

Scan the QR code to read the review by Syed Saad Ahmed