Friday, 11 December 2009

KANGRA MINIATURE PAINTING

In the museum of Kangra art in Dharamsala

The first cabinet contains a giant 19th century

Pot and a million year old fossil, alongside

A few desultory shards of pottery.

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The hovering attendant quickly steers you

Towards the Himachal miniatures, delicate

Pictures in vibrant colours of Hindu scenes,

Created by the same families over the centuries.

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He points one out, saying his great grandfather

Painted it. Upstairs, he shows his own collection,

Along with a family tree which states that Anil

Raina is the last in a line of craftsmen which has

Survived generations but now faces extinction.

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