Nisha JamVwal’s Ode To The Arts And Crafts Of India

My life has been an ode to the arts and crafts of India – indigenous and contemporary. A significant part of that journey has been shaped by my association with the legendary craft activist, Roshan Kalapesi.

As her protégé and collaborator, I’ve had the privilege of delving deep into the world of Indian crafts with Paramparik Karigar and later, my auction titled ‘Iconic Symphonies In Stone’, for which I even wrote a book on saving Indian stone sculptural art, and travelled all over Rajasthan to chronicle this craft.

My passion for Indian crafts led me to author three other books on the subject of saving Indian craft, the myriad varieties of intricate crafts and talented craftsmen and the process – each a labour of love aimed at documenting and preserving these invaluable traditions.

And to this same end, over the last few months, to encourage the dying dissipating Indian crafts a group of us got together to present these crafts to India in three shows over three cities, which required that we work tirelessly to present some remarkable museum quality crafts to an Indian art-loving diaspora. Along with some lovers of indigenous arts, we created an unmissable museum-like installation in three different cities of Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. The kind of show people travel great distances to see.

We transformed Taj ballrooms into magnificent larger-than-life museums with grand installations and the three cities received the grand shows with great joy.

Delhi was special because I’ve spent some years at school and college in this historic city and enjoyed deep friendships here. It was specially delightful to see the three ballrooms we had filled with art thronged with excited friends asking so many questions. The minister for culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was the chief guest and enjoyed the works immensely.

Hyderabad for me is predominantly about Pinky Reddy. She is a true patron of the arts and so it was apt that I invited her as our chief guest with the Minister for Culture Andhra Pradesh, Jupally Krishna Rao.

Mumbai was the tiara on the crown — from the first second to the last friends came in droves and there was a kind of magic in the air. Here I chose three great lovers and patrons of the crafts as chief guests who lit the inaugural lamps with us — Noopur Desai who runs the Apaar Industries Foundation, Bijal Meswani a celebrated philanthropist and chairperson of the Taj Group of Hotels Puneet Chatwal along with my partners Ajay Singh and Angira Arya.

As I explained to friends in all three cities the significance of various pieces, I was proud in the knowledge that my friends had got a ringside viewing of India’s finest indigenous arts justifying the countless hours spent putting these evenings together. Shows like this ensures that the rich tapestry of Indian Art continues to inspire and educate future generations.

I was delighted to see my enthusiastic friends throng the three shows which were a joyous celebration of India’s indigenous craft traditions and to share this experience with close friends from Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai — reconnecting over our shared love for the country’s artistic treasure.

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