From Auckland to Mumbai to Tehran, textile artist and aesthete Areez Katki is retracing his family’s great odyssey, for inspiration for his next collection

Instead of using a tapestry frame, textile artist Areez Katki is using pre-woven fabric and embroidering it by hand for his new exhibition. Pics/Suresh Karkera

A Parsi house is a living museum. It is a space so well-preserved in time that every household object is an objet d’art. Ceramics, wall cabinets, diwans, curios, photo frames, barnis: each item has gathered dust and been feather-dusted for decades. We’re in one such house in a baug in Tardeo, originally belonging to Minoo Lakdawala, a faded nameplate tells us. Today, his great-grandson, Auckland-based textile artist Areez Katki, is lodging here, while looking for inspiration. In a striped shirt with bell-bottom sleeves and high-waisted, tapered pants, similar to the kind his grandfather used to wear, and stitched by the same tailor, Katki, we can tell, was born in the right house and in the wrong decade.

Article by Ekta Mohta |Mid-Day

Twenty-nine-year-old Katki, and his parents (both Parsis, both accountants) abandoned Mumbai when he was 10 months old. They moved to Muscat, and then to Auckland a decade later. Katki graduated from the University of Auckland in art history, English literature and philosophy in 2012, and began knitting cardigans and scarves, and hand-embroidering shirts and silk wraps, on the side. He made only 30 pieces a year, some of which for $600 each, because he ran a workshop of one.

One of Katki’s ideas has been to depict objects found in a Parsi house on washcloths, such as ceramics and a ceiling fan

“Everything was made by me: every piece, every garment, every jumper or sweater or scarf that I embroidered or hand-knitted was made by me,” he says. “But, slowly I moved away from fashion [because] I thought about where I wanted to see my work and it wasn’t necessarily on people’s bodies. I thought that it belonged in a more permanent state on the wall, or to be looked at as a historic object. So, I’m here on an artist’s residency, to finish my first significant body of work that will go towards my debut solo exhibition.”

The exhibition will open on February 2, 2019, at Malcolm Smith Gallery, in Auckland, an ocean away. But, it will carry Mumbai in its threads, as Katki carries his heritage in his heart. “I have always attached this great romance to this house and this colony and this community,” he says. “I have more admiration and more curiosity about the Parsis of Mumbai and the Zoroastrians of Iran than I do for the very, very closely knit and introverted [Parsi] community in New Zealand.”

A stylistic depiction of the elements in an agiary: water, flowers (earth) and the eternal flame

His research took him to Iran recently, where he studied tapestry-making and Zoroastrian iconography. Locals would greet him with three kisses and “welcome back home.” Katki is looking at the collection from “a matriarchal perspective” because he learned how to quilt from his maternal grandmother during summer hols, and her best friend, Dolly auntie, who lives below and taught him beading and needlework. “Since I was a child, I’ve had a very close relationship with my grandmother. I am who I am because of the women in my life. They helped a lot in nurturing my love for handmade textiles.”

When he arrived in the city in March this year, he was looking at traditional Parsi embroidery such as gara and zardozi. “I did a beautiful workshop with Zenobia Davar, where I was the only guy. Everyone else was over the age of 40 and a woman. I had a wonderful time interacting with them and doing research on what is it about gara-making that was so appealing and so important to maintain as part of our heritage. But, essentially, I took the skills and used it on a different kind of cloth. Because, to me, the story is more domestic, private and intimate.

And it’s not to do with the opulence of Parsi life and society; it’s to do with the retention of memory since you’re a child and the textiles that surround you. So, I started collecting fragments of cloth from my grandmother’s wardrobe, and from this house, and from Dolly auntie’s house. And I arrived at cloths like khatkas [rags] and tea towels and doilies and tablecloths. Very humble domestic fibres, mostly cotton. I found a few rare fragments of Bombay Dyeing cloth, and some handkerchiefs that belonged to my grandfather. I was really fascinated with khatkas. I know this is something that people don’t even think about when they sweep the floors or wipe their tables, but when you look at them, there’s such an interesting texture.”

After making preliminary drawings, Katki started embroidering on these lost-and-found fabrics. He shows us a piece that features the inside of an agiary: water, flowers, a pair of tongs, a bell, the eternal flame. Another piece has embroidered ceramics and a ceiling fan. About this piece, he says, “Compositionally, I’ve picked up domestic objects from Parsi households, and implemented them on another domestic object from a Parsi household. I tried to break down the hierarchies, because this object would have wiped the subject once upon a time. And, now, I’ve put them together.” For our money, Katki is digging in the right place: within the four walls of his ancestral home. Because in a Parsi house, even the mundane is aesthetic.

Jimmy described his wall paintings depicting Allama Iqbal’s masterpiece Javed Namah as his most difficult work, but also one of his major artistic achievements

“I have been sent here,” said an unfamiliar man, in a dark shalwar kameez, as he stood silhouetted in the doorway of my Karachi hotel room. It was late in the evening and he had insisted on seeing me personally and alone, an unnerving demand in 1997, when the filming had just started on my film Jinnah. There was a storm of controversy and the film, its cast, and crew were being attacked in the media. We were taken to court and a case was instituted to shut down production. Although we won the case, commentators speculated whether the entire enterprise would collapse mid-way.

Op-Ed by Akbar Ahmed  | Daily Times , Lahore

It is in this context that the man’s words sounded inspirational to me. “From now on,”he said, “I will be by your side and will escort you to your plane when the film is completed. You will succeed despite the opposition.”

The man was Jimmy Engineer, one of the most famous painters and social activists of Pakistan.

Jimmy, a Zoroastrian, hinted that a “transcendental power” had sent him. He presented a video cassette to me and insisted that I watch it. In the darkly-lit sequence filmed with a hand held camera, Jimmy was seen entering a cave and there was a cage containing two lions. At first, the lions were agitated, but they calmed down eventually.

“talking to people, showing my work and telling them that we are not all extremists. We are artists, lecturers, doctors and scientists. It became my mission to travel all over the world creating a positive image of Pakistan.” — Jimmy Engineer

“Your position is quite similar to what has been shown in the film. You too are facing ferocious lions in a cage. But I have been sent to be by your side, and in the end, you will accomplish your mission.”

True to his word, throughout the long and difficult shooting in Karachi and Lahore Jimmy was by my side. He even walked from Karachi to Lahore on a one-man crusade to raise funds, after the government reneged on its agreement to contribute funds for Jinnah. As he had promised, he ultimately saw me off at the Karachi airport.

Jimmy’s Parsi community immigrated to the Subcontinent from Persia in the seventh century. There are fewer than 1,800 Parsis in Pakistan today with fewer than 190,000 in the world total, he told me. The Zorastrians have a tradition where one’s profession is reflected in their name, so Jimmy’s last name was given because his father and grandfather were engineers, although he did not end up pursuing their careers.

Jimmy was born in Loralai, Balochistan, in 1954. At the age of only six, doctors told his family that his kidneys were failing and that he had only three months to live. Three months later, however, he was still alive and the doctors informed his family his kidneys appeared “brand new.” It was, his family said, a “miracle” and Jimmy believes he was given a second chance. “I’m trying to repay God through my work,” he said in 2009, “I don’t refuse anyone if they need help.”

He went on to study at St. Anthony High School and at the National College of Arts, both in Lahore, and became a professional painter in 1976. A theme running through his work has been universal compassion for all people, especially the poor and down trodden. Jimmy has produced over 3,000 paintings-which have sold for as much as 1.6 million pounds-and more than 1,500 drawings and 1,000 calligraphies. 700,000 of his prints are held in private collections in over 60 countries. His drawings and paintings encompass many genres including abstracts, human figures, animals, landscapes, calligraphies, seascapes, religious, historical, and philosophical works, and still-lifes.

“As I grew up,” Jimmy elaborated in an interview in Sri Lanka’s Daily News, “I became a student of nature. You are dealing with the perfect master then, because nature is perfect while we are imperfect….”

Jimmy described his wall paintings depicting Allama Iqbal’s masterpiece Javed Namah as his most difficult work, but also one of his major artistic achievements. Jimmy explained that he was invited to paint Javed Namah by Iqbal’s son. Iqbal had written a letter to his son,Jimmy said in 2012,”that he would like some artist to create a visual display of the philosophy in the poem. There were two or three great painters from other countries who tried their hand at the deed. They were only able to paint one scene not the whole thing.  I went through his letter and discovered that he had written that the man who paints ‘Javed Nama’ will have a great name in the world”. When Iqbal’s son, came to ask Jimmy when the work would be finished, Jimmy said that”I would tell him that his father too comes to me asking that question.”

Jimmy has held over 80 art exhibitions in Pakistan and around the world. “I have traveled all over the world,” he said in 2013, “talking to people, showing my work and telling them that we are not all extremists. We are artists, lecturers, doctors and scientists. It became my mission to travel all over the world creating a positive image of Pakistan.”

He is keenly aware of this importance in the west. “Whenever I show my work in Europe or the United States,”Jimmy said in 2009 in Houston, Texas,”it changes the mind of people when they look at it. For a moment they forget that I’m from Pakistan. They feel that I’m part of the international community, and it helps change their perception and image of my country, which is often negative.” Jimmy’s father, as it turns out, is a prominent religious leader based in Houston, where there is a distinguished Zoroastrian community. Among its members is the famous Pakistani novelist Bapsi Sidhwa.

In 2017, Jimmy exhibited his artwork in China at the prestigious Zhengyangmen Museum in Beijing. The exhibit was entitled, “Art, Culture and Heritage of Pakistan” and included his striking and moving painting “The Last Burning Train of 1947,” which depicts the impact on refugees during the horrific violence that befell the Subcontinent during Partition. The painting is part of a series of paintings on canvas depicting the human tragedy of Partition.

Jimmy has additionally led more than 100 walks for social causes, arranged over 140 awareness programs for handicapped and orphaned children, and donated 700,000 prints of his work to charity.

When I asked him who inspires him, he told me, demonstrating his embrace of other religions, that he was “a close disciple of Sufi Barkat Ali of Faisalabad,” and “I accepted all religions as my personal belief.” Invoking Zarathustra of his Zoroastrian faith, Jimmy elaborated on his philosophy, “Our Prophet taught us three words. Good Words. Good Thoughts. Good Deeds.”

This philosophy comes through in his painting that he presented to me as a gift when he met me in Washington, D.C. It is a large work of calligraphy of the shahada, and I have it proudly displayed in my office. When guests come and ask about it, I point out that it is by one of Pakistan’s most famous painters who is not a Muslim, and they are invariably surprised.

Jimmy has received many awards from all over the world, including The National Endowment of the Arts Award in the United States in 1988 and the Sitara-e-Imtiaz for Art from the Government of Pakistan in 2005. Despite these numerous accolades, he says, “I call myself the servant of Pakistan. That is the only title I am proud of.”

The writer is the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University, Washington, DC, and author of Journey into Europe: Islam, Immigration, and Identity

The dancer is revolutionary in many ways, one being his ability to make his body do what he wants it to

At 71, Astad Deboo has one hell of a back bend. In his new performance Liminal, and the forthcoming Interconnect, the dancer’s spinal column does a lot of work. “I am working much more with my back now, the aches and pains are there, everybody has them after a certain age. I work harder to keep myself fit now,” Deboo told me recently when we met, before performance of Liminal at Tamasha, an intimate, experimental performance space he specifically designed it for.

Article by Sanjukta Sharma | The Voice of Fashion

He said “being rejected” still motivates him, besides the innocent, inexplicable ecstasy of performing to grand musical designs on a stage, and the freedom of knowing that the body can still be moulded into

his best tool of expression. The body does what we want it to, he said—you have to want it do something badly enough, and work hard at it.

In an ageist society like ours, Deboo is a revolutionary. His creative idiom is still evolving, which essentially proves that each age group has its qualities and values. Why are people afraid of seeing ageing bodies? Because it reminds us that we will be unattractive or immobile after a particular age. The promise of being young is the stuff marketing dreams are made of—youth is the elixir that can cure all ills. It is also a deeply entrenched Indian view that age means “retirement” or rest or stillness and quietude. The superannuated man or woman is seen as homebound, not footloose. Deboo is constantly challenging that idea, and with spectacular obliviousness. In his mind, he is still making progress in a journey that speaks almost 50 years—2019 will be his 50th year as a dance professional. He is trying things he hasn’t done before. “It is still a solo ship. I still struggle to raise funds, to put on a show. Sometimes friends ask me why I am still pushy. That’s the only way I know,” he says.

Japanese dancer Eiko Otake in her mid-60s continues to perform. Photo: William Johnston\eikoandkoma.org

Interconnect is a collaborative piece with Rudra Veena virtuoso Bahauddin Dagar. Dagar, Pratap Awadh on the Pakhawaj and the vocals of Dhrupad singer Chintan Upadhyay create this piece with Deboo about the journey of a day on earth—from dawn to dusk. Liminal is a three-piece solo performance about anguish, loss and playfulness that celebrates the flourishes that he has mastered over 49 years. Deboo is sublime in it. His signature gestural language, with slow, extended movements of the limbs display muscular power, grace, rhythmic complexity, full-bodied passion and an astonishingly flexible lower back. He has nurtured his dance over years of travelling, collaborating (with Manipuri drummers, Korean and Carnatic musical ensembles, hearing-impaired children, dancers like the Japanese Yukio Tsuji and others), and as he says, “being rejected” by the arts establishment and not giving him enough funding or support.

Deboo was the first Indian “modern dancer”, an artiste concerned with form, respectful of tradition and committed to universal values but with the ability to invent a distinctive style that transcends genres. The New Yorker dance critic Joan Acocella wrote about American dancer Mark Morris in her book Mark Morris, “He is a sort of car crash of personalities.” Our Deboo is somewhat similar—there’s a music scholar, a shishya (disciple) in the classical Indian dance sense, a Parsi, an anti-establishment artiste, a global aesthete all washed up into the same body. His hair cuts—usually spirals in back and grey, resembling hip-hop fashion, makes his very un-Indian in India. But the Kathak-inspired, fluid voluminous costumes are Indian in other parts of the world. According to his  plan, the costumes are designed in layers, usually with a diaphanous top layer with intricate embroidery or other work by Ahmedabad designer Archana Shah or the Mumbai brand Jade (Monica and Karishma). Each one is different, and sometimes Deboo goes austere—like in Liminal, where he wears a T-shirt and a pair of tights in one piece, and a flowing all-black garment which he can manoeuvre with his hands, making it integral to the movements of his hands.

Journeys in his 20s across 32 countries gave him sharpness and independence. Emotionalism is central to his work.

Airy leaps and jeté-like movements are less prominent in Deboo’s works now. But when he choreographs, he still goes the whole hog, he says. Kathak twirls and intricate Kathakali movements are integral, and he continues to use them with ease in his new works.

Italian prima ballerina Alessandra Ferri’s comeback performance in 2016. Photo: Timothy A Clary\AFP

Deboo, born in 1947, is in an exclusive club of dancers all over the world in supreme form well beyond their 50s: Alessandra Ferri, now 55, an Italian prima ballerina who made a comeback two years ago after she stopped dancing in her early 40s, American Carmen de Lavallade who performed until her early 80s, Swedish Mats Ek danced till he was 70, Japanese Eiko Otake in her mid-60s who continue to perform, American-Italian Simone Forti who danced till she was 80 and continues to be a choreographer with her troupe.

There are no secrets to their enduring strength and creativity. It is the simple gift of knowing that age is a number and expressing through the body has nothing to do with how many wrinkles it has.

Astad Deboo’s Interconnect will be performed at the Tata Theatre, National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, on 30 November. Tickets are available at Boookmyshow.com

Body Politic is a fortnightly column about what social pressures, disease and disability can do to body image.

Sanjukta Sharma is a Mumbai-based writer and critic, and former editor of Mint Lounge.

Sarosh Anklesaria is one of the six winner of the 2019 RIchard Rogers Fellowship. Announced by the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Sarosh will will spend three and a half months completing an in-residency research program at the Wimbledon House in London.

The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) revealed the six winners of the third annual Richard Rogers Fellowship residency program. Hailing from the U.S., Italy, and Germany, the fellows will each spend three and a half months at the Richard Rogers, Hon. FAIA–designed Wimbledon House in London to pursue research on a variety of issues. The program will also award each fellow a $10,000 cash prize and cover expenses to and from London.

Launched in October 2016, the fellowship is “inspired by Rogers’s commitment to cross-disciplinary investigation and engagement,” according to a GSD press release.

Sarosh Anklesaria, Ithaca NY

Research: Embedded Resistances within Neoliberal Regimes: Activist-Architects and the Contested Spaces of London’s Traditional Markets

Bio and Project Description: Sarosh Anklesaria is an architect and educator. He has worked as an architect with Diller Scofidio + Renfro (New York), Herzog & de Meuron (Basel), and Sangath, the office of Balkrishna Doshi, in Ahmedabad. He is currently a Visiting Critic at Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning and has taught design studios at The Pratt Institute and Syracuse University. Anklesaria has a diploma in architecture from CEPT University and a Master of Architecture from Cornell University. He runs an independent practice based in New York and Ahmedabad and has been a member of the Architecture and Design panel at NYSCA. His writing, work and research has been published in a variety of media, including Architectural Review, Domus, Architect’s Newspaper, and Design Today, among others.

His proposal stitches together two broad themes of research that have occupied his creative pursuits: architecture’s capacity to generate inclusive forms of public space, especially in the context of the neoliberal city, and the traditional market as the site of these contestations. The primary objective of the research is to study the traditional markets of London as well as the role of activist architects in generating spaces of empowerment within, or of consequence to, traditional markets.

More about Sarosh here and here

World-renowned Pakistani artist, peace activist and social crusader Jimmy Engineer has been selected for Habib Jalib Peace Award for 2019 in appreciation and recognition of his meritorious services in the field of art and social work.

Habib Jalib Peace Award Committee, according to an announcement, will present the Peace Award to Jimmy Engineer at a function to be held at Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi on April 30, 2019 to mark observance of 26th death anniversary of popular revolutionary poet Habib Jalib.

Habib Jalib Peace Award so far has been given to 12 prominent personalities from different fields in recognition and appreciation of their services in respective fields starting from 2007 till 2018. The recipients of Habib Jalib Peace Award so far include Mr Sobhogayan Chandani, Aitzaz Ahsan, Abdul Sattar Edhi, Prof Dr Adeebul Hassan Rizvi, Dr Ruth Pfau, Justice (r) Fakharuddin G. Ebrahim, Meraj Muhammad Khan, Abdul Hameed Chhapra, Justice (r) Rana Bhagwandas, Dr Abdul Hai Baloch, Abid Hasan Minto and Comrade Jam Saqi.

In December 2018, Jinnah Society had conferred the Jinnah Award comprised of gold medal on Jimmy Engineer and SOS Children’s Village Founder President Mrs Souriya Anwar in recognition of their services to Pakistan in their respective fields.

Celebrated Indian contemporary dancer and choreographer Astad Deboo on his 50-year career, hitchhiking across the world and more

Article by Samira Sood | CNN Traveller

Astad Deboo in flow. Photo: Amit Kumar

Astad Deboo is no stranger to accolades: from a Sangeet Natak Akademi award to a Padma Shri, he has them all. But perhaps his greatest prize is his own story. How did the boy from Jamshedpur go on to become the pioneer of modern dance in India?

8 years, 32 countries. Feat. a cargo boat ride with goats

“Around the time I was finishing my undergrad degree in commerce and economics in Mumbai, in 1969, a school friend from Jamshedpur had just returned after hitchhiking across Europe. I was inspired, so I mustered the courage to approach my father and tell him I’d like to do the same—and slipped in that I had got admission to study dance at the Martha Graham School in New York (I also lied that I had a scholarship). One of the many good things about my parents was that if you took the initiative, they weighed the pros and cons and made their decision. So, I left home with a grand sum of US$300—and that’s the last time I ever took from my parents.

Photo: Amit Kumar

In those days, the RBI allowed you to go as a labourer to the Gulf by sea. I got on a cargo boat to the port of Khorramshahr in Iran. It was very hot and I had goats for company, but the journey was wonderful. I remember being fascinated by the mountains of Oman, the detour in Basra. My first night in Khorramshahr was at a gurudwara, and then I began hitchhiking: Iran, Turkey, Greece, Austria, Germany, Switzerland. At a party, I met an Iranian pop singer who was learning the sitar from Ravi Shankar. He offered me a half-hour slot on his show, for which I was paid US$50 (my first pay ever) and given a certificate. I tried similar things wherever I went: I’d approach the Indian students’ committees and associations at colleges and offer to perform.

While in London waiting for my paperwork to come through for the US, I started giving Kathak classes in exchange for studying dance at The Place in London, which was teaching the Martha Graham method. But within three months, I realised that this was not for me. So I decided to travel more, but with a purpose, not for the sake of it. I wanted to see other dance and performing art forms—ballet, kabuki theatre, folk dances, the works—and really immerse myself in them, not just watch a show and come back. I hitchhiked, took cheap charter flights and boats, taught classes in exchange for learning different kinds of dance, like Afro jazz, as well as cash, and managed to travel across Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Vietnam (during the war, which was a real eye-opener), Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines; I stayed a year in South America. In Japan, I also taught English and became a fashion model.”

With a little help from my friends (and strangers)

“In the US, I had quite a few school friends, but otherwise, I’d stay at youth hostels. I was also lucky to meet a number of extremely generous people who would then invite me to stay with them. There were some surprises, too. Like in Rio, I’d gone to the carnival and met a Russian ballet teacher who invited me to teach a few classes, and subsequently, met a lady who was fascinated by my work and invited me to stay with her; she turned out to be the daughter of a former president of Brazil. When I was going to Buenos Aires, a friend had put me in touch with someone who also turned out to be a former Argentinian president’s daughter. A lady who picked me up in Australia in 1973 became a lifelong friend, right up until she passed away in 2000. These relationships I forged also helped me later, because I started getting invited to perform in different countries.”

Photo: Amit Kumar

Shocking the Indian audience

“After about three and a half years, I returned to Jamshedpur for my sister’s wedding, and stayed for about four months, sorting out my US visa paperwork. That was when I began to study Kathakali as well. Guru Krishna Panicker was one of the few classical dance teachers who was open to experiments with contemporary dance, so he taught me two pieces. Later, when I returned to Mumbai in 1977 (thanks to my parents’ emotional blackmail), in addition to taking Kathakali lessons again for a few years, I started doing solo shows. Prithvi Theatre opened in 1978 and Little Theatre at the NCPA, soon after. The Max Mueller Bhavans in different cities were very supportive. Pina Bausch came in 1979 and said she wanted to watch some Indian dancers. The director of Max Mueller Bhavan recommended me, and she subsequently invited me to join her and collaborate with her. For me, it was like, whoa, Pina Bausch! That was a big feather in my cap.

My audiences in India were a mixed lot. Some were quite enlightened and culturally well exposed, others found my shows shocking or confusing. Sometimes people were a bit shocked to see me wearing a leotard, for example, but it didn’t bother me.”

Dancing to sign language

“After a few years in India, I had started feeling creatively frustrated. I wanted to choreograph an ensemble, but traditional classical dancers, though very keen, were afraid of being rusticated by their gurus. I knew of this deaf theatre company in Kolkata, where the artistic director was a friend, so I asked if I could do a workshop with the kids. I hadn’t done this before, but it was an interesting idea. I started off with short workshops of a few days, but eventually, I choreographed a full-length work with them. At the time, someone I knew was teaching at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, the world’s largest university for the deaf, and through him, I got the opportunity to work there for a few months every year as artist in residence, curator and choreographer. With The Clarke School for the Deaf in Chennai, I’ve done over 70 shows, including opening the Deaflympics in Melbourne, shows in Granada, Singapore and at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.

It’s been a huge learning experience for me, how to teach and communicate in different ways. I had to make sure my lips were clearly visible so the kids could lip read, which also made me more conscious of how I presented myself. My Kolkata kids were taught American Sign Language, because the lady who started it had a deaf daughter so she went to America to learn. I can spell in ASL and sign a few other cues, but then in England, the signing is different, in Australia it’s different.”

Photo: Amit Kumar

Pink Floyd who?

“It’s been 50 years on the professional stage, and I’ve had some fantastic times. In 1969, Winston Churchill’s granddaughter, Arabella, was doing a fundraiser for leprosy patients in Africa and India. One of the girls I had hitchhiked with was working for her, so she recommended me. That time, I was still doing mainly Kathak. In the middle of the sound and light check, Arabella suggested I jam with Pink Floyd, so we did. But I had no idea who they were!

Then, when I was in Sydney way back in the ’70s, the Sydney Opera House was on the verge of being set up, and they were auditioning for its opening opera. I tried out and was selected to be the lead dancer! That was really special. Slowly, I gained some acceptance from the more traditional institutions in India as well—being invited to the Khajuraho Dance Festival was a big deal because it was primarily an Indian classical dance festival. Receiving the Sangeet Natak Akademi award and Padma Shri and, last year, a lifetime achievement award from a prestigious and very traditional Indian classical sabha in Chennai, was also gratifying.”

At 72, I’m still travelling all over the world. But now I am particular about hotels and flights!

“I’ll be 72 in July. In the next few months, I’m going to Imphal, Munich, Chicago and the Hague. I’m not a fussy traveller and I really enjoy my food. I guess that’s partly why I’ve been able to enjoy my trips so much. But I am a bit particular about where I’m staying now, and most of my sponsors and organisers do fly me business class. I think that’s okay, I’ve earned that much.”

Our dear friend Anaheez Karbhari, an extremely talented graphic artist in Toronto, was recently featured on the Indian Women’s Blog.

“My artwork relies heavily on my background as a Zoroastrian, whose parents were born and raised in India,” says artist Anaheez Karbhari.

Anaheez’s artwork explores her roots, the experience of being a Zoroastrian in India and the experience of being a Zoroastrian woman in India. One of her photo series featured on Platform for Artists takes a dig at the suffocating stereotypes that are readily ascribed to all the women of her community in India.

Commenting on the series, she says, “I wanted to speak to the taboos and stereotypes made about women from the South Asian diaspora, by further exaggerating them in my visuals. I posed in my grandma’s saree with certain objects to create a juxtaposition between the antique and the contemporary. I want viewers to see the way I’m farming the standards and expectations made of all Indian girls because these are older standards that don’t necessarily tie in with the contemporary culture.”

Scroll through to see the striking pictures from the series:

Anaheez, through her artwork, often explores women’s experience and struggles in India. She approaches the problem by infusing her art with a subtle yet caustic touch of humor. Here are some of her illustrations:

Follow Anaheez’s work on her instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/anaheez.avenues/ 

Follow Anaheez on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamanaheez/

Follow Anaheez’s latest business venture she co-founded, Dhansak & Co. : https://www.instagram.com/dhansakco/

One day, perhaps, the NCPA’s work may be more important for the country than the work of the steel company,” JRD Tata had famously told Jamshed Bhabha, founder of the institution when the latter apologised for taking up his time. Tata wasn’t entirely wrong about his grand vision given the legacy that the cultural institution has built over the past five decades.

From a humble beginning in a small rented space in Akash Ganga building on Bhulabhai Desai Road, today the National Centre for Performing Arts houses five theatres sprawled over eight-acres on the southern tip of Nariman Point, and hosts over 600 events each year spanning all art forms. Conceived by Jamshed Bhabha and backed strongly by JRD Tata, Bhabha’s concept note for the NCPA stressed the need for a centre to preserve Indian arts and humanities. The Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, while accepting Bhabha’s proposal, put the onus of procuring land on him.

When the state government failed to release land anywhere in Bombay, offering space near the Ajanta Caves instead, Bhabha came up with the idea of reclaiming land from the sea. NCPA’s Trust was set up in 1968 with stalwarts like Yehudi Menuhin, Ravi Shankar, Satyajit Ray, Andre Malraux, Vilayat Khan and PL Deshpande on its advisory board. before Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister inaugurated the NCPA, not once but twice. First time in December, 1969 at Bhulabhai Desai Road; and then 11 years later, at Nariman Point in October, 1980, when she launched the Tata Theatre designed by American architect Philip Johnson and acoustics expert Cyril Harris. Then two months before its completion, on the night of Dec 30, 1997, the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre was engulfed in fire and by morning reduced to ash. But like a phoenix it rose again in 1999 and continues to stand as a testament to Bhabha’s leadership and vision.

An ongoing photo exhibition tries to highlight the rare moments of a fast dwindling Zoroastrian community of India.

The exhibition showcases about fifty photographs by photographer Shantanu Das, which span over a period of six years. Most of them depict a day in the life of a Parsi.(Photo: Shantanu Das)

Article by Sanskrita Bharadwaj | Hindustan Times

When documentary photographer Shantanu Das was not allowed to step inside a Parsi fire temple, he thought of photographing its ongoings from afar. “As time passed, I was able to build a network that aided me with shooting their events, parties and other ceremonies,” he says. Eventually, Shantanu’s documentation of the Parsis bore fruit, as he was able to publish a picture book that depicts the culture and traditions of the community.

“In photography and in other art forms as well, I think, one should never be content with their body of work. If they are satisfied, then they will stop evolving,” he says. His works are being exhibited in an ongoing show titled, Parsis — A Timeless Legacy. The exhibition showcases about fifty works, which span over a period of six years. He has not only shot them in Mumbai, but also in places such as Udvada and Surat in Gujarat, and Kolkata (West Bengal).

“These works are symbolic of a day in the life of a Parsi. I want their legacy to live on and not get washed away with time,” he says. While photographing the community, Shantanu learnt that the Parsis are a “bunch of happy people”, who have owned the “live and let live” concept.

Due to migration and intermarriages, there are very few Parsis left in India. A 2016 statistics showed that their numbers are down to 61,000, and dwindling by the day. Another 40,000 are scattered across the world with an even greater struggle to hang on to their distinctive culture and identity. Entrepreneur Parvez Damania, one of the curators of the exhibition, says, “I have always been fascinated by the community, and I am proud, I belong to the same.” Curating the event, he says, was a “personal privilege”. Parvez, who has previously curated an exhibition on Udvada, which is known for its Atash Behram (Zoroastrian fire temple), explains, “Udvada has proven to be vulnerable and nothing of it may remain in the future. The idea was to remind people that Parsis exist and their legacy must live on. In a similar way, this exhibition, too, will help preserve the rich heritage of the people, even if it is only through photographs.”

When asked, what drew him to the community, Shantanu emphasises on how some things change, while others remain the same. “Despite the passage of time, Parsis have maintained their unique identity. They are both progressive and traditional, and historically, they have made an immense contribution to the arts. They are a delightful set of people, and I think their goodwill has rubbed off on me,” he says.

Art in India has largely been a niche world, with few artists being known beyond the rather small circle of connoisseurs. But even within this small world, some brilliant artists and their work have been forgotten or lost with the passage of time. One of them is Rustom Siodia.

Article by Anshika Jain | Live History India

Siodia, who is little-known, was a brilliant Indian artist, who lived at the dawn of the 20th century. This was a a time when the art scene in the country was rapidly evolving. It was an exciting time to be an artist then as art schools were being set up in different parts of the country, new ideas and methods were being introduced, artists were developing their signature styles and there was exposure to distant cultures.

Siodia was born in 1881 in a Parsi family in Bombay. His father worked for the well-known Parsi businessman and philanthropist Byramjee Jeejeebhoy, who built colleges and hospitals in the city.

Siodia in his studio|Chatterjee & Lal

Siodia was born at a time of great change. From 1860s onwards, Bombay had emerged as the commercial capital of India due to a combination of factors like the opening of the Suez Canal, setting up of cotton mills, and a booming trade in cotton and opium. Awash with money, the city’s richer denizens were also turning their attention to the arts. Many of them were getting their portraits painted, and were interested in collecting art and antiquities. Around the same time, Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy had funded the establishment of the Sir J J School of Art in 1857.

The Parsi community that Siodia belonged to was at the forefront of many of these activities.

Siodia showed an early talent for art and studied at the Sir JJ School of Art in the first decade of the 1900s. As a student there, he did not agree with the teaching methodologies introduced by the then principal, Cecil Burns. Siodia, in fact, believed that academic realism was the most appropriate method of teaching art.

Untitled (Camel and rider), 1911|Chatterjee & Lal

Siodia decided to further his education and, in 1908, enrolled at the Royal Academy in London, making him a pioneer of sorts as he was only the second Indian and the first Parsi to study there. He returned to India in 1913 and in a couple of years set up a studio in the Grant Road locality of Bombay. His talent and reputation brought him countless commissions.

Siodia started his career as a portrait artist, when the ‘Salon’ style was popular.

Many Indian kings, princes as well as wealthy businessmen and traders were getting their portraits painted. Many curators see Siodia and his contemporaries like M V Dhurandhar and Bomanjee Pestonjee, who had also studied at the Sir JJ School of Art, as successors of Raja Ravi Varma.

Untitled (Study of hands and feet), 1913|Chatterjee & Lal

While Siodia focused on portraits during his early days, one sees a shift to landscapes and historical themes in his later work. There is even a discernable shift in his palette. According to Mortimer Chatterjee, art curator and founder of Mumbai-based art gallery Chatterjee & Lal, this may have reflected the influence of his teachers like John Singer Sargeant (1856-1925), who was considered one of the leading portrait artists of his generation.

Untitled (Forest), 1939|Chatterjee & Lal

Siodia showed an early talent for art and studied at the Sir JJ School of Art in the first decade of the 1900s. As a student there, he did not agree with the teaching methodologies introduced by the then principal, Cecil Burns. Siodia, in fact, believed that academic realism was the most appropriate method of teaching art.

Artistically, Siodia’s most productive period is from 1915 to 1939, when he not only created a large number of works on paper and canvas but also won prestigious commissions to paint murals at the Imperial Secretariat (Rashtrapati Bhavan) in New Delhi and the Royal Opera House in Bombay.

One of his most interesting work is his artistic reproductions of Ajanta, which he executed between 1922 and 1925.

While most of the documentation at Ajanta at the time focused on reproducing the paintings inside the caves, Siodia looked at the external architectural features and reproduced them in a rather innovative way.

An illustration from ‘Legends of Ancient Persia’|Chatterjee & Lal

He used the architectural elements he saw at Ajanta and recast them as quasi-Achaemenid structures in his works, which were depicted themes and stories from ancient and medieval Persia. He liberally used these elements in his illustrated manuscript Legends of Ancient Persia.

Siodia’s exploration of Persian themes in his art is quite unusual for his time and this can also be ascribed to his exploration of his own Parsi heritage. He depicts and celebrates the cultural legacy of pre-modern Persia in many of his works from the 1920s onwards.

Study for “Kamrelzaman before his father”, for Rashtrapati Bhavan, Circa 1929|Chatterjee & Lal

One of Siodia’s grand successes was painting murals at the Imperial Secretariat when the British Government held an open competition for the decoration of the interiors. The Sir JJ School of Art, under the guidance of its principal Gladstone Solomon, emerged victorious over competitors like the well-regarded Bengal School spearheaded by Abanindranath Tagore.

Besides the faculty and students of the JJ School, many of the murals were also painted by former JJ students including Siodia, who painted six or eight of them. These murals had diverse themes and one can see the different influences in his murals, from his British education to his exploration of Persian elements. He depicted subjects like Cinderella, Bluebeard, the four seasons and even tales from Harun al-Rashid. He covered 750 square feet in less than six weeks in 1929.

A misunderstanding in Art, 1933|Chatterjee & Lal

Siodia was not only an accomplished artist, he was also an enthusiastic essayist and humorist and was a regular contributor to The Times of India.

Siodia had married Hirabai at a relatively young age and had one daughter, Cumi Dallas. She was born in 1907 and married Hormazdyar (Homi) Dallas. Cumi was also an accomplished artist and left behind a rich artistic legacy of her own as well. The Dallas’s were active members of the Parsi community and Homi Dallas, who was an accomplished architect, had even served as president of the Indian Institutes of Architects and had also helped renowned architect Hafeez Contractor when he went to study in Columbia University in the United States.

Unfortunately, despite his accomplishments, Siodia was quietly forgotten and didn’t occupy a place in the art world after his death in 1946. Most of his artworks and papers remained in the possession of his descendants or in private collections, with few opportunities to publicly exhibit them and no major art historical study of his work. One of his few works on public display is a portrait at the CSMVS museum in Mumbai, where it is a part of an exhibition on the Sir JJ School of Art’s role in the development of art titled ‘Pravaha’.

His grandson Darayas Bilimoria and great-grandson Behzad Bilimoria preserved much of Siodia’s work at their home in South Mumbai.In 2018, the Bilimoria family reached out to Atul Tolani, an independent Art manager and a family friend regarding their collection. Atul recognized the importance of the Siodia’s position in Indian art history and went on to advise the family to reintroduce the artist back in the public domain.

In 2019, Atul Tolani, who also represents the family estate, reached out to Chatterjee & Lal to hold a retrospective on Siodia, and bring out many of his works, which had been in storage for a good 73 years. They were displayed at an exhibition aptly titled ‘Realism & Fantasy’ held from November to December to 2019, the first time a major body of his work has been displayed. We hope that with this renewed attention, Siodia finally gets his due.

Otago Museum is thrilled to host Areez Katki’s acclaimed textile-based art exhibition, Bildungsroman, at the H D Skinner Annex opening on Saturday 11 January.

The embroidered works explore Katki’s two, often conflicting, identities.

Katki is a Parsi, an ethnoreligious group originally from Iran who fled to India during the first Muslim invasion between the 8th and 10th century. The Parsis are an opaque and insular population, traditionally only marrying within their community and keeping centuries old customs. They follow Zoroastrianism, an ancient religion, mostly known in the West for the ‘towers of death’ where bodies of the dead are taken to be fed to vultures.

Katki was born into the sacred Osta clan, and as such is an ordained Zoroastrian priest. But alongside this identity is another; Katki is also an openly queer New Zealander, living as a fashion practitioner and artist in Auckland.

The push and pull of these two worlds, and an open celebration of Parsi culture and family are explored in the textile pieces.

Bursting with colour and playfulness, they weave the threads of his heritage together. The exhibition displays 29 new works by the artist, developed over the past eight months while he was living and working in India. Borrowing from his Mother’s 1970s stenography notebook, the works feature shorthand, along with patterns and images to tell his stories.

Alongside the works, the exhibition also contains a number of documentary elements from the artist’s travels – photographs, heirlooms, audio content, and journal entries – giving a dense and layered experience for viewers.

The exhibition was recently named by Art Collector magazine as one of the top 50 in Australasia, and is free to the public here in Dunedin.

Craig Scott, Head of Exhibitions and Creative, said, “We are just so pleased to have this amazing exhibition in our city. Areez is one of New Zealand’s best contemporary, craft-based artists, and these pieces carry an incredible depth, communicating so much”

Open for the next four weeks the exhibition is highly anticipated among Dunedin’s art community and offers a window into the veiled world of the Parsis.

About Areez

Areez Katki is a multidisciplinary artist & textile practitioner based in Auckland, New Zealand. Drawing from historic and social research, he addresses his value for craft sensibilities through a research driven contemporary practice. Over the duration of his career Katki has focused on the significance of materiality in the domestic realm through personal processes of fabricating textiles and an ongoing engagement with their narratives. With a background in Art History and an early childhood imbibed in the values of craft, Katki developed a practice based on instinctive responses to textile & fibre research. Often juxtaposing the ephemeral synaesthesic responses to his environment with a subjectivity around formal processes of fabrication that were matrilineally inherited.

Culminating in richly contextualised bodies of work since 2015, Katki raises questions around the political nature of craft; proclaiming his role as a craftsperson within the realm of contemporary art. The works have addressed social constructs of identity, spirituality and sexuality that have since been explored through various mediums including beaded tapestry weaving, embroidery, paint, sculpture and printmaking.

In 2019 after a ten month-long residency based in Mumbai, India, Katki exhibited his premiere solo body of work Bildungsroman. A narrative that surveys the depths of domestic materiality whilst investigating issues around identity, spirituality and sexuality. Traversing his genetic landscapes across Persia and his birthplace in India, the work was exhibited at Malcolm Smith Gallery in the Eastern region of Auckland where Katki was raised. Bildungsoman is currently touring to institutions across Aotearoa over 2019-2020.

Exhibition Info

Otago Museum

10am–4pm, 11 January to 9 February

419 Great King Street, Dunedin, New Zealand

The London filmmaker on chronicling the legacy of Khorshed and Kekoo Gandhy.

As a young woman, Behroze Gandhy tried hard to maintain a distance from her artistic lineage. “Growing up, I didn’t want anything to do with art, my parents [Bombay’s original art couple Kekoo and Khorshed Gandhy] or their gallery,” says the London-based filmmaker. “I felt I should get away from it and make my own mark… but after a point, I couldn’t escape the goodwill my parents had, and the doors it opened for me.” In town for the screening of her 90-minute documentary feature, Kekee Manzil – The House of Art, Gandhy pursued media studies in the UK in the 1970s and decided to stay on. “A series of chances led me to film and research at the British Film Institute,” she says.

Article by Reema Gehi | Mumbai Mirror

“I had memories of my father talking about the Bengal school and the Bombay Progressives, and when I started my academic work, all this began to feel connected, and I began exploring the link between early Indian cinema and art.”

Though she was trying to circumvent the world of art, it found her. “And because I was a filmmaker in the UK, people kept telling me that I must record my father, that it was going to be all history one day,” she says. “My parents were, after all, witness to key moments of the Indian contemporary art movement from the early 40s, and established the first contemporary art gallery in Bombay. So, I conducted a long interview with them in 2002, but unfortunately I lost the footage.”

Their beautiful sea-facing home in Bandra has, thus, become the anchor for this film. “In the last years of my parents’ lives, they spent a lot of time in Kekee Manzil. I kept coming back to spend many months with them,” says Behroze, who brought on board a camera team to film them again a few years later. “After they died in 2012-13, I knew I had the material to make a documentary, which could reflect on the story of Indian art. So, I started collaborating with Dilesh Korya, who edited and co-directed the film, which I financed.”

From family members — siblings Rashna, Adil and Shireen, uncle Dara — to old archives in 8 mm film, it all helped to provide an account of how her parents journeyed into contemporary art and their encounters with Italian prisoners of war, Jewish emigres and Belgian businessmen.

“The story of the film is about how my father, a casualty of the World War II, landed up being one of the catalysts of an art movement, which was at odds with his Parsi business background,” says Behroze.

“My dad’s journey revolved around a shop selling picture frames, and a series of curious coincidences leading him to the point of opening Gallery Chemould in 1963.”

This story is told through interviews with artists and personalities from across fields, such as SH Raza, Krishen Khanna, Tyeb Mehta, Sakina Mehta, Anish Kapoor and Salman Rushdie, who knew the couple well, and were able to reflect on their legacy. In fact, in the film, Rushdie even speaks about the confidence he developed to “invent a painter in the The Moor’s Last Sigh,” because of his associations with artists such as Bhupen Khakhar, Gulammohammed Sheikh and Vivan Sundaram.

The film, however, is not only about the couple’s involvement in the arts. It is punctuated by seminal political events — the Independence movement, the Emergency, and the 1992-1993 riots — and how it influenced them. “I saw my father work closely with the peace committees during the Bombay riots, for instance,” says Behroze. “So, the film is as much about art as it is about their political lives.”

B-Creative Hand painted Glass Art By Binaifer

On a background of beautifully textured art glass, my creations are painstakingly hand painted and come ready to display with an aesthetically complementary frame. Popular themes include artistic representations of religious symbols such as the Zoroastrian Farohar and the Hindu God Ganesha, in addition to abstract renditions of elephants and other motifs I am inspired by. The dynamic interplay of opaque, translucent and vibrant colors makes these pieces perfect when juxtaposed against a backlit location, such as a window, lamp or votive. They can also be traditionally wall mounted to add a splash of color or auspiciously hung above an entryway.

Check out Binaifer’s creations on her Etsy page at:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BCreativeByBinaifer

Contact: Binaifer Medhora Mehta

binaifer1@gmail.com

Cell: +1 732 593 7833

Legendary artist and India’s greatest contemporary dancer and our dear friend Astad Deboo shares a short message during the current COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Chemould Prescott Road is doing a wonderful series on The Collectors. Here are some of the Parsi collectors it has featured

Homi Bhabha

Jehangir K. S. Nicholson

Kavas Bharucha

A newsletter from our dear friend Dinyar Wadia of Wadia Associates, an award winning architecture and design firm from Connecticut, USA informs…

“The Wadia Way”

We hope this finds you well. If you own a Wadia Associates designed home, or have visited a Wadia Associates designed home, you are immediately struck by the harmonious spatial arrangement, the quality of the materials, and the attention to every elegant feature.

How does this happen on every job we do? It’s simple. We focus on the details. We call it “The Wadia Way.”

It means as architects and designers, we go out into the building environment to make sure each project is built with the same level of detail that was specified by the architect, and as it was envisioned by the client.

It means Dinyar Wadia goes to every jobsite to make sure each home is built to his exacting standards.

So to better understand how Wadia Associates works to make your project come to life, please view the video and go to our website to see how Dinyar and our clients describe “The Wadia Way.”

Our dear friend Anaheez Karbhari, an extremely talented graphic artist in Toronto, was recently featured on the Indian Women’s Blog.

“My artwork relies heavily on my background as a Zoroastrian, whose parents were born and raised in India,” says artist Anaheez Karbhari.

Anaheez’s artwork explores her roots, the experience of being a Zoroastrian in India and the experience of being a Zoroastrian woman in India. One of her photo series featured on Platform for Artists takes a dig at the suffocating stereotypes that are readily ascribed to all the women of her community in India.

Commenting on the series, she says, “I wanted to speak to the taboos and stereotypes made about women from the South Asian diaspora, by further exaggerating them in my visuals. I posed in my grandma’s saree with certain objects to create a juxtaposition between the antique and the contemporary. I want viewers to see the way I’m farming the standards and expectations made of all Indian girls because these are older standards that don’t necessarily tie in with the contemporary culture.”

Scroll through to see the striking pictures from the series:

Anaheez, through her artwork, often explores women’s experience and struggles in India. She approaches the problem by infusing her art with a subtle yet caustic touch of humor. Here are some of her illustrations:

Follow Anaheez’s work on her instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/anaheez.avenues/ 

Follow Anaheez on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamanaheez/

Follow Anaheez’s latest business venture she co-founded, Dhansak & Co. : https://www.instagram.com/dhansakco/

One day, perhaps, the NCPA’s work may be more important for the country than the work of the steel company,” JRD Tata had famously told Jamshed Bhabha, founder of the institution when the latter apologised for taking up his time. Tata wasn’t entirely wrong about his grand vision given the legacy that the cultural institution has built over the past five decades.

From a humble beginning in a small rented space in Akash Ganga building on Bhulabhai Desai Road, today the National Centre for Performing Arts houses five theatres sprawled over eight-acres on the southern tip of Nariman Point, and hosts over 600 events each year spanning all art forms. Conceived by Jamshed Bhabha and backed strongly by JRD Tata, Bhabha’s concept note for the NCPA stressed the need for a centre to preserve Indian arts and humanities. The Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, while accepting Bhabha’s proposal, put the onus of procuring land on him.

When the state government failed to release land anywhere in Bombay, offering space near the Ajanta Caves instead, Bhabha came up with the idea of reclaiming land from the sea. NCPA’s Trust was set up in 1968 with stalwarts like Yehudi Menuhin, Ravi Shankar, Satyajit Ray, Andre Malraux, Vilayat Khan and PL Deshpande on its advisory board. before Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister inaugurated the NCPA, not once but twice. First time in December, 1969 at Bhulabhai Desai Road; and then 11 years later, at Nariman Point in October, 1980, when she launched the Tata Theatre designed by American architect Philip Johnson and acoustics expert Cyril Harris. Then two months before its completion, on the night of Dec 30, 1997, the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre was engulfed in fire and by morning reduced to ash. But like a phoenix it rose again in 1999 and continues to stand as a testament to Bhabha’s leadership and vision.

An ongoing photo exhibition tries to highlight the rare moments of a fast dwindling Zoroastrian community of India.

The exhibition showcases about fifty photographs by photographer Shantanu Das, which span over a period of six years. Most of them depict a day in the life of a Parsi.(Photo: Shantanu Das)

Article by Sanskrita Bharadwaj | Hindustan Times

When documentary photographer Shantanu Das was not allowed to step inside a Parsi fire temple, he thought of photographing its ongoings from afar. “As time passed, I was able to build a network that aided me with shooting their events, parties and other ceremonies,” he says. Eventually, Shantanu’s documentation of the Parsis bore fruit, as he was able to publish a picture book that depicts the culture and traditions of the community.

“In photography and in other art forms as well, I think, one should never be content with their body of work. If they are satisfied, then they will stop evolving,” he says. His works are being exhibited in an ongoing show titled, Parsis — A Timeless Legacy. The exhibition showcases about fifty works, which span over a period of six years. He has not only shot them in Mumbai, but also in places such as Udvada and Surat in Gujarat, and Kolkata (West Bengal).

“These works are symbolic of a day in the life of a Parsi. I want their legacy to live on and not get washed away with time,” he says. While photographing the community, Shantanu learnt that the Parsis are a “bunch of happy people”, who have owned the “live and let live” concept.

Due to migration and intermarriages, there are very few Parsis left in India. A 2016 statistics showed that their numbers are down to 61,000, and dwindling by the day. Another 40,000 are scattered across the world with an even greater struggle to hang on to their distinctive culture and identity. Entrepreneur Parvez Damania, one of the curators of the exhibition, says, “I have always been fascinated by the community, and I am proud, I belong to the same.” Curating the event, he says, was a “personal privilege”. Parvez, who has previously curated an exhibition on Udvada, which is known for its Atash Behram (Zoroastrian fire temple), explains, “Udvada has proven to be vulnerable and nothing of it may remain in the future. The idea was to remind people that Parsis exist and their legacy must live on. In a similar way, this exhibition, too, will help preserve the rich heritage of the people, even if it is only through photographs.”

When asked, what drew him to the community, Shantanu emphasises on how some things change, while others remain the same. “Despite the passage of time, Parsis have maintained their unique identity. They are both progressive and traditional, and historically, they have made an immense contribution to the arts. They are a delightful set of people, and I think their goodwill has rubbed off on me,” he says.

Art in India has largely been a niche world, with few artists being known beyond the rather small circle of connoisseurs. But even within this small world, some brilliant artists and their work have been forgotten or lost with the passage of time. One of them is Rustom Siodia.

Article by Anshika Jain | Live History India

Siodia, who is little-known, was a brilliant Indian artist, who lived at the dawn of the 20th century. This was a a time when the art scene in the country was rapidly evolving. It was an exciting time to be an artist then as art schools were being set up in different parts of the country, new ideas and methods were being introduced, artists were developing their signature styles and there was exposure to distant cultures.

Siodia was born in 1881 in a Parsi family in Bombay. His father worked for the well-known Parsi businessman and philanthropist Byramjee Jeejeebhoy, who built colleges and hospitals in the city.

Siodia in his studio|Chatterjee & Lal

Siodia was born at a time of great change. From 1860s onwards, Bombay had emerged as the commercial capital of India due to a combination of factors like the opening of the Suez Canal, setting up of cotton mills, and a booming trade in cotton and opium. Awash with money, the city’s richer denizens were also turning their attention to the arts. Many of them were getting their portraits painted, and were interested in collecting art and antiquities. Around the same time, Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy had funded the establishment of the Sir J J School of Art in 1857.

The Parsi community that Siodia belonged to was at the forefront of many of these activities.

Siodia showed an early talent for art and studied at the Sir JJ School of Art in the first decade of the 1900s. As a student there, he did not agree with the teaching methodologies introduced by the then principal, Cecil Burns. Siodia, in fact, believed that academic realism was the most appropriate method of teaching art.

Untitled (Camel and rider), 1911|Chatterjee & Lal

Siodia decided to further his education and, in 1908, enrolled at the Royal Academy in London, making him a pioneer of sorts as he was only the second Indian and the first Parsi to study there. He returned to India in 1913 and in a couple of years set up a studio in the Grant Road locality of Bombay. His talent and reputation brought him countless commissions.

Siodia started his career as a portrait artist, when the ‘Salon’ style was popular.

Many Indian kings, princes as well as wealthy businessmen and traders were getting their portraits painted. Many curators see Siodia and his contemporaries like M V Dhurandhar and Bomanjee Pestonjee, who had also studied at the Sir JJ School of Art, as successors of Raja Ravi Varma.

Untitled (Study of hands and feet), 1913|Chatterjee & Lal

While Siodia focused on portraits during his early days, one sees a shift to landscapes and historical themes in his later work. There is even a discernable shift in his palette. According to Mortimer Chatterjee, art curator and founder of Mumbai-based art gallery Chatterjee & Lal, this may have reflected the influence of his teachers like John Singer Sargeant (1856-1925), who was considered one of the leading portrait artists of his generation.

Untitled (Forest), 1939|Chatterjee & Lal

Siodia showed an early talent for art and studied at the Sir JJ School of Art in the first decade of the 1900s. As a student there, he did not agree with the teaching methodologies introduced by the then principal, Cecil Burns. Siodia, in fact, believed that academic realism was the most appropriate method of teaching art.

Artistically, Siodia’s most productive period is from 1915 to 1939, when he not only created a large number of works on paper and canvas but also won prestigious commissions to paint murals at the Imperial Secretariat (Rashtrapati Bhavan) in New Delhi and the Royal Opera House in Bombay.

One of his most interesting work is his artistic reproductions of Ajanta, which he executed between 1922 and 1925.

While most of the documentation at Ajanta at the time focused on reproducing the paintings inside the caves, Siodia looked at the external architectural features and reproduced them in a rather innovative way.

An illustration from ‘Legends of Ancient Persia’|Chatterjee & Lal

He used the architectural elements he saw at Ajanta and recast them as quasi-Achaemenid structures in his works, which were depicted themes and stories from ancient and medieval Persia. He liberally used these elements in his illustrated manuscript Legends of Ancient Persia.

Siodia’s exploration of Persian themes in his art is quite unusual for his time and this can also be ascribed to his exploration of his own Parsi heritage. He depicts and celebrates the cultural legacy of pre-modern Persia in many of his works from the 1920s onwards.

Study for “Kamrelzaman before his father”, for Rashtrapati Bhavan, Circa 1929|Chatterjee & Lal

One of Siodia’s grand successes was painting murals at the Imperial Secretariat when the British Government held an open competition for the decoration of the interiors. The Sir JJ School of Art, under the guidance of its principal Gladstone Solomon, emerged victorious over competitors like the well-regarded Bengal School spearheaded by Abanindranath Tagore.

Besides the faculty and students of the JJ School, many of the murals were also painted by former JJ students including Siodia, who painted six or eight of them. These murals had diverse themes and one can see the different influences in his murals, from his British education to his exploration of Persian elements. He depicted subjects like Cinderella, Bluebeard, the four seasons and even tales from Harun al-Rashid. He covered 750 square feet in less than six weeks in 1929.

A misunderstanding in Art, 1933|Chatterjee & Lal

Siodia was not only an accomplished artist, he was also an enthusiastic essayist and humorist and was a regular contributor to The Times of India.

Siodia had married Hirabai at a relatively young age and had one daughter, Cumi Dallas. She was born in 1907 and married Hormazdyar (Homi) Dallas. Cumi was also an accomplished artist and left behind a rich artistic legacy of her own as well. The Dallas’s were active members of the Parsi community and Homi Dallas, who was an accomplished architect, had even served as president of the Indian Institutes of Architects and had also helped renowned architect Hafeez Contractor when he went to study in Columbia University in the United States.

Unfortunately, despite his accomplishments, Siodia was quietly forgotten and didn’t occupy a place in the art world after his death in 1946. Most of his artworks and papers remained in the possession of his descendants or in private collections, with few opportunities to publicly exhibit them and no major art historical study of his work. One of his few works on public display is a portrait at the CSMVS museum in Mumbai, where it is a part of an exhibition on the Sir JJ School of Art’s role in the development of art titled ‘Pravaha’.

His grandson Darayas Bilimoria and great-grandson Behzad Bilimoria preserved much of Siodia’s work at their home in South Mumbai.In 2018, the Bilimoria family reached out to Atul Tolani, an independent Art manager and a family friend regarding their collection. Atul recognized the importance of the Siodia’s position in Indian art history and went on to advise the family to reintroduce the artist back in the public domain.

In 2019, Atul Tolani, who also represents the family estate, reached out to Chatterjee & Lal to hold a retrospective on Siodia, and bring out many of his works, which had been in storage for a good 73 years. They were displayed at an exhibition aptly titled ‘Realism & Fantasy’ held from November to December to 2019, the first time a major body of his work has been displayed. We hope that with this renewed attention, Siodia finally gets his due.