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My journey toward art history did not follow a conventional academic pathway. As a student trained primarily in applied art, I lacked formal instruction in historiography, theory, and academic writing. Entering art historical discourse initially felt intimidating, marked by unfamiliar language and assumed competencies. Yet this sense of being underprepared became the catalyst for self-directed learning. I began by undertaking personal research projects, not with the aim of ma

Heritage conservation across the world is frequently framed as a technical and aesthetic exercise; one that stabilizes structures, restores façades, and protects architectural fabric from decay. While these efforts are undeniably important, my experience as a UNESCO World Heritage Volunteer in Ahmedabad revealed the ethical limitations of a monument-centric approach that prioritizes visual preservation over lived realities. Nowhere was this tension more apparent than in the h

These visits occurred over many years, across educational trips, fieldwork, and personal travel. Rather than documenting each site visually, this post reflects on recurring observations that emerged across contexts. These encounters were not always documented carefully, nor were they always undertaken with the intention of producing outcomes. What follows is not a travelogue, but a record of how repeated exposure to historical sites gradually altered the way I look. My formal

Figure 1. Aerial view of the fort. Image source: The Indian Express Heritage sites are often approached as static monuments; considered to be objects that are to be preserved, restored, and displayed. However, my engagement with Manimajra Fort compelled me to question this framework and consider heritage as a layered, living process rather than a frozen past. The fort, commonly reduced to a footnote in regional histories of Chandigarh, reveals how built, natural, and intangib

Source- Alchetron My introduction to Stella Kramrisch was accidental, a brief text encountered during my early years of college. Yet it proved formative, not because it provided definitive answers, but because it modelled a way of thinking about Indian art that resisted simplification. Kramrisch approached art as a living philosophical system rather than a stylistic category. Her writing insists on internal coherence, symbolism, and metaphysical depth, challenging colonial fr