India
is a civilization of many images, a culture of many visual feasts, a tradition
where the visible and the palpable are as important as the oral and the
occurrent, where our highest truths are embodied not only in our erudite texts
but in our kathas (stories) and gathas (songs), akritis (visual
forms) and rachanas (compositions), rich with a variety of
forms, shapes, designs and motifs. Akriti to Sankriti: The Journey
of Indian Forms explores some akritis that adorn
both majestic and grand monuments, as well as common and ordinary spaces, and
which through their purely visual language are pointers to not only our
culture, but equally to brahma jnana or transcendental
knowledge. These beautiful visual representations of both the ordinary people
and artisans, are not individual expressions but that of the shared experiences
of the community and the preserve of the family, passed down through endless
generations. They are neither mere designs nor decorations, nor meant only for
rites and rituals, but in their own unpretentious way become sources of visual
knowledge and have a culture of their own. Akriti to Sanskriti,
a unique analysis and repository of Indian visual forms, is a collector’s tome.
Reviews
of 'Akriti to Sanskriti'
The author provides
us with a disarmingly understated masterwork of profound reflection and
metaphysical distillation. Through images, paintings and art works on
all mediums, the author reflects and inclusiveness, and a visual
construction with a definition of Akriti. —THE AGE
The Author has
highlighted how India is a civilisation of many images where the highest truths
are embodied not only in the sacred texts and rituals but also in the
informal katha's and customs that have been passed on for generations —MID-DAY.COM