A historian, environmentalist and writer based in Chennai, Nanditha Krishna has a Ph. D. in Ancient Indian Culture from Bombay University, where she specialised in Indian art and religion and was also a Heras scholar. She has been a Professor and Research Guide for the Ph.D programme of CPR Institute of Indological Research, affiliated to the University of Madras. She established the C.P. Art Centre and Shakunthala Art Gallery in Chennai and the Shakunthala Jagannathan Museum of Folk Art in Kanchipuram, apart from several educational institutions, and is currently President of the C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation and Director of CPR Institute of Indological Research in Chennai. She was responsible for the revival of 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. Dr Nanditha Krishna restored the Varahishwara Temple in Damal and a 450-year-old building in Kanchipuram. In 1990, she was deputed to the Archaeological Survey of India’s restoration of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and has researched the Khmer temples and reported on the restoration process. She has also been documenting India’s ecological heritage traditions.Dr Nanditha Krishna is the author of 23 books on Indian art, culture, religion and the environment, including Life Lessons from Mahavira; Life Lessons from Adi Shankara (Aleph); The Book of Avatars and Divinities, The Book of Demons, Hinduism and Nature, Sacred Plants of India, and Sacred Animals of India (Penguin); Paintings of the Varadaraja Perumal Temple (CPR Publications); Madras Then, Chennai Now (Roli); Book of Vishnu and Balaji Venkateshwara and Ganesha (Vakils);  Painted Manuscripts of the Sarasvati  Mahal Library (Govt. of Tamilnadu); Mahabalipuram: The Ganga Comes to Tamil Nadu and The Arts and Crafts of Tamilnadu (Mapin); and The Art and Iconography of Vishnu-Narayana (Taraporevala), among others, besides several research papers and numerous popular articles. She is the winner of several awards including Nari Shakti Puraskar, Stree Ratna and Outstanding Woman of Asia.

Abstracts of the lectures:

Colours of Expression – Indian Painting

Indian artists expressed themselves through sculpture, architecture and painting. Whereas the first two required a greater degree of skill, painting did not always require expertise. 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.

In India, there was no separation of the arts: the creator of the temple had to be a mathematician, architect, sculptor and painter. Using natural vegetable colours, the painter achieved unbelievable degrees of sophistication. What is interesting is the inherent unity of styles and messages, from the decoration of Gandharan images to the depiction of the Buddha’s life in Ajanta to the magnificence of Shiva’s avataras in Thanjavur. They were not hesitant to incorporate stylistic influences and religious messages, whether it was from folk art or from abroad. The paintings also give us glimpses of the lives people led, whether it was the harvest dance or court life or the rigours of the kitchen. My two lectures will cover the wide canvas of Indian painting which was an essential part of Indian life and yet has not been sufficiently appreciated.