Culture and Heritage – Page 2

पुरानी दिल्ली – मेरी नई किताब

June 5, 2026June 5, 2026Posted in Art, book-review, Culture and Heritage, Delhi, HeritageTagged Books, Chandni_Chowk, Delhi, Old_City, shahjahanabad, TravelLeave a comment

पुरानी दिल्ली — हमारे तारीखी शहर का वह हिस्सा, जिसे मैंने बचपन से “दिल्ली की रूह” के नाम से जाना है।

वो दिल्ली मेरे दिल के एक कोने में सिर्फ़ धड़कती ही नहीं, बल्कि हर बीतते दिन के साथ अपना एक नया चेहरा भी उजागर करती है। इसकी गलियों में हमारा आज भी बसता है और हमारा कल भी। इसकी हवाओं में बेशुमार किस्से तैरते हैं, और इसके हर मोड़ पर एक नई कहानी आपका इंतज़ार करती मिलती है।

बरसों की पढ़ाई, तलाश, यादों और मोहब्बत का नतीजा यह नई किताब है, जिसके ज़रिए मैं पुरानी दिल्ली — या यूँ कहिए शाहजहानाबाद — की खुशबू, उसके लोगों, उसके बाज़ारों, उसकी तहज़ीब और उसकी अनगिनत कहानियाँ आप सबके साथ साझा करना चाहता हूँ। उम्मीद है कि यह सफ़र आपको भी उतना ही अपना लगेगा, जितना मुझे रहा है।

जल्द ही… वाम प्रकाशन से आ रहा है, पढ़ कर हौसला बढ़ाइए - आने तक तस्वीर देखिए और कापी बुक करने के लिए लिंक नीचे दिया है

A new book on the historical Old City, Shahjahanabad, known as Delhi. New stories of the same old city of Emperor Shahjahan and specifically designed by his eldest daughter and favorite princess, Jahanara Begum.

Dasa Mahavidya: the Divine Feminine

June 1, 2026June 1, 2026Posted in Art, Culture and Heritage, Delhi, Design ProjectsTagged Art, Award, book, Longlist, OxfordLeave a comment

Longlisted for the 4th Oxford Art Book Prize

Delighted to share that Dasa Mahavidya: Gesture, Form, and the Divine Feminine, designed by Rajinder Arora/Ishtihaar and published by Ojas Art, has been Longlisted for the 4th Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize among the other fifteen.

Dasa Mahavidya reflects on the visual, philosophical and symbolic dimensions of the Ten Wisdom Goddesses through the lens of contemporary artistic practice. The Dasa Mahavidyas, or Ten Wisdom Goddesses, are prominent figures in Hinduism, especially within Tantric traditions, representing diverse aspects of the Divine Feminine and encompassing ultimate wisdom. They are: Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari (or Shodashi), Bhuvaneshvari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi, and Kamala. These goddesses are believed to be manifestations of Goddess Parvati and are invoked for spiritual growth, empowerment, and the realization of the Supreme through practices like meditation, mantra chanting, and devotional acts.

The Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize is India’s only award dedicated to recognising excellence across art publications and their contribution to the larger discourse on art and culture. At Ishtihaar we are honoured to see our work recognised among this year’s selected titles.

Best wishes to Anubhav Nath and Ojas Art, who have another art book “Ram Singh Urveti: Another Master”in the Longlist. The final winners will be announced later this year.

An eveneing with Pushpesh Pant

April 20, 2026April 20, 2026Posted in Art, Culture and Heritage, Food & Culinary Art, SeasonsTagged 2026, Books, food, Pushpesh_PantLeave a comment

When Pushpesh Pant talks about food, he makes your mouth water even before you’ve really known the dish. By discussing the history, origin, species, process, and the love that goes into making a dish, he makes it so interesting that you feel like trying it the very next day. Just meeting him and listening to his tales of life and the kitchen truly satiates—both the spirit and the appetite. An evening with him is a harvest of culinary wisdom. Yesterday, at the Hans magazine’s “Zayka aur Zaban” event, the air was further seasoned by the presence of Vineet Kumar, author of Bachelor’s Kitchen, alongside Vandana Rag and Rachna Yadav.

पुष्पेश जी को मिलने और उनसे ज़िंदगी और रसोई के किस्से सुनने में ही आदमी तृप्त हो जाता है, मन से भी और पेट से भी, जिसके बाद इधर उधर कुछ खा कर आप जायका खराब नहीं करना चाहते। बहुत फ़ायदे हैं हर बैठक के। बीती शाम हंस पत्रिका के ज़ायका और ज़बान कार्यक्रम में बैचलर्स किचेन के लेखक विनीत कुमार, वंदना राग और रचना यादव से भी मुलाक़ात हुई।

Singing Minstrels in my city

April 9, 2026Posted in Culture and Heritage, Delhi, Musings, My Films and other Media rolesTagged 2026, group, Minstrels, music, Sadhus, Singing_MinstrelsLeave a comment

Check the attached video

Just like the Bauls in Bengal, and the Keertankaars in the Marathwada region, singing minstrels were a common sight in North Indian towns and cities until about three decades ago; then they vanished. Driven away by the security and safety paranoia of cities, and the allegations such as theft, these people moved to the hinterlands and were no longer seen singing on buses, trains, footpaths, or sometimes even outside temples. Covid pushed them further away. Was surprised to see them on the street this morning. I love how they mix Bhakti texts with film tunes and their simple choir-style singing. *I am still learning to edit videos. All geeks are welcome to teach.