National
Ancient Indian manuscripts can provide perspective to current design studies
New Delhi : The Western aesthetic has been known to dictate grid structures but Indian cultural heritage and its various manuscripts are good examples of the existence of an alternative that could lend variety and perspective to current studies of design – as an exhibition here demonstrates.
Graphic designer Dimple Bahl’s exhibition, ‘Scripting the PAST for the FUTURE’ that is on till April 8 at the IGNCA here, provides an in-depth study of grids in the Indian culture, with a focus on Jain scriptures that talk about Ayurveda, religion, rituals and the manner of living.
The exhibition culls grid structures from ancient Indian manuscripts to give a local vocabulary to the global design language.
“These are the scriptures of the past, I have studied them to give information in the present to encourage the future generations to translate it into something much bigger than what we are doing today,” Bahl told IANS.
There is very little knowledge of the rich legacy of the creative use of grids left behind by our ancestors simply because it is not taught as a part of our design curriculum and because our knowledge and research about them is inadequate and dominated by Western pedagogy, according to her.
“I created little things to understand the grid structure and how they were prevalent in our own culture. Then, I moved on to grids in Indian manuscripts narrowed it down to Jain manuscripts because they are beautifully illustrated and they have a lot of variation of form,” she said.
Planned in a mere 20 days, the exhibition is very basic and breaks away from religious connotations.
“If we showcase what were the graphic designs used in India, there is a possibility that people may start appreciating it, they may start evolving a language which is more rooted in our culture,” said Bahl who collaborated with National Mission for Manuscripts and studied 1,099 manuscripts for her research.
“We could have a comprehensive compendium to show what existed in India,” she added.
“One of the books displayed in the exhibition that describes the Jain cosmos is capable of being an entire exhibition but nobody is trying to document these things to make them available to the next generation as in India we don’t respect our scriptures that much.”
She questioned why we don’t take inspiration from the grid lines and the way the layouts were happening in the past.
There has been no distinction between art an craft in India, as amply illustrated by our historical grids. Indian design philosophy treats design as something to be adopted across all spheres of life, she said.
She asserted that she could relate the meanings of the scriptures with their aesthetic visuals.
“The content of the scriptures has so beautifully been translated into the visual grids. I could connect the aesthetics and the meaning and come up with these examples.”
Bahl presents a study of these as a doorway to countless everyday possibility of evolving a strong, indigenous graphic language that could speak eloquently its own vocabulary while adhering to the predominantly western principles that form the current bulwark of modern design education.
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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