IKS lecture series 2021 – Dr Nanditha Krishna to explain the vast canvas of Indian paintings
Gandhinagar: The Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) elective course by the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) will host two lectures this week on the subject ‘Colours of Expression – Indian Painting’ by Dr Nanditha Krishna. The virtual lectures are scheduled to be held on March 17 and 18, 2021, from 3:05 to 4 pm (IST).
Dr Nanditha Krishna is an eminent historian, environmentalist, writer, and scholar of ancient Indian culture. She established the CP Art Centre and Shakunthala Art Gallery in Chennai and the Shakunthala Jagannathan Museum of Folk Art in Kanchipuram. Currently, she is the President of the CP Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation and Director of the CPR Institute of Indological Research in Chennai. Dr Nanditha Krishna was responsible for reviving the painting traditions of the Kurumba tribes, pottery traditions of Kota women, and traditional drawing and painting in Mamallapuram; and for the introduction of Tamil folk art forms in schools. She has also been documenting India’s ecological heritage traditions. She has authored 23 books on Indian art, culture, religion and the environment, including Life Lessons from Mahavira; Hinduism and Nature; Sacred Plants of India; Sacred Animals of India (Penguin); The Arts and Crafts of Tamilnadu (Mapin), besides several research papers and popular articles. She is the winner of several awards, including Nari Shakti Puraskar, Stree Ratna and Outstanding Woman of Asia.
In her two lectures as a part of the IKS course, Dr Nanditha will take the participants on a journey of Indian paintings across different eras and styles to explain this essential form of expression of Indian artistes. From the Bhimbetka paintings of early hunter-gatherers to the colourful statements of rural folk art to the sophistication of Ajanta, paintings were a celebration of the world and an expression of the message the artist wished to record and convey. Dr Nanditha will discuss how there was no separation of the arts in India and how the painters achieved unbelievable degrees of sophistication using natural vegetable colours. She will also highlight the inherent unity of styles and messages in different forms of Indian paintings and how they provide a glimpse into the lives of people of those times.
The IKS course is open to students and anyone interested in India’s knowledge systems and cultural heritage. They can join the course for free by filling an online registration form on the website: http://iks.iitgn.ac.in/. All lectures will be livestreamed on IITGN’s YouTube channel.