The kaavad of Rajasthan is a portable shrine with multiple doors that fold into themselves. The Kaavadiya Bhat or the storyteller journeys with this brightly painted wooden box to the homes of his patrons, to recite their genealogies and regale them with the stories of the pantheon of deities painted on the shrine. While the object serves as an aide – memoire for the storyteller, the keeper of its secrets his tales are meant to reaffirm the lineage of his patrons and their exalted place in the community. It is a tradition that binds communities in common memory and mythology.
Where did it come from? What is its fate in the world today? Exploring a panel at a time of this curious mnemonic device, its author, Nina Sabnani, leads as on a journey to uncover the myths and mysteries of this unique oral storytelling tradition.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR B.N. Goswamy
B.N. Goswamy, distinguished art historian, was till recently Professor of Art History at the Punjab University, Chandigarh. A leading authority in the field of Indian painting, his work has been of seminal importance both to the studies of Pahari painting and painting in the Punjab. Among the most significant of his published works are: Pahari Painting, The Family as the Basis of Style (Marg, 1968); Pahari Paintings of the Nala Damayanti Theme (Delhi, 1975); Essence of Indian Art (San Francisco, 1986); Wonders of a Golden Age (Zurich, 1987); Pahari Masters: Court Painters of Northern India (Zurich, 1992); Indian Costumes in the collection of the Calico Museum of Textiles (Ahmedabad, 1993); and Nainsukh of Guler: A great Indian painter from a small Hill State (Zurich, 1997). His most recent work, Painted Visions: The Goenka Collection of Indian Painting, was published by the Lalit Kala Akademi earlier this year. Professor Goswamy has been visiting Professor at the Universities of Heidelberg, Zurich, Pennsylvania, California at Berkeley, California at Los Angeles, and Texas at Austin, and has lectured extensively both in Europe and the U.S., and in India. He has also been responsible for major exhibitions of Indian art in Paris, San Francisco and Zurich.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nina Sabnani
Nina sabnani is a storyteller who uses film, illustration and writhing to inform and enlighten her audience.
Her research interests focus on exploring the dynamics between words and images in storytelling. As a filmmaker, she brings together animation and ethnography in old and new ways. Her published stories are often rich collaborations with artists and folk fablers and have earned critical acclaim.
Nine graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Vadodara, and received a master's degree in film from Syracuse University, NY, which she pursued as a Fulbright fellow in 1997. Her doctoral research at the IDC focused on Rajasthan's Kaavad storytelling tradition. She taught at the National Institute of Design for 22 years before moving to Mumbai in 2006.
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