Five interesting ways to learn about Indian and world history

The past is carried forward through textiles, jewellery, art, and even acts of migration. Go back in time through looking glasses

Even the most avid lovers of history cannot deny that perusing tomes and volumes can be a tad tedious. However, history doesn’t necessarily have to be learned academically: it can be observed through the bite-sized stories of objects, fabrics, jewellery, and other channels. Here’s a curation of five interesting ways to learn about Indian and world history.

Fabric of history

The simply-named Textile Conservation Studio, a New Delhi-based art and fabric conservation platform, initiates discussions about ancient textiles that they restore. The studio is run by Deepshikha Kalsi, a materials conservator and consultant. Some of their recent projects include restoring a 19th century silk velvet Chhatri belonging to the Maharawals of Dungarpur, which, we are informed, is embroidered through with pure gold and silver thread. The studio also posted the behind-the-scenes video restoring an 18th century world hemisphere map, believed to be a 
sampler depicting Captain Cook’s journey.
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Instagram : @textile_conservation_studio

Art to the past

Daak Vaak is an indie art store as well as a newsletter. It creates gifts based on the lesser-known art, culture, traditions, and poetry of South Asian cultures, and talks about facets of history, such as Hari Ambadas Gade’s abstract expressionist paintings and the work of indie artists, poets, 
and writers.
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Instagram: @daakvaak

Diaspora of survival

Brown History, a newsletter dedicated to South Asian stories, aims to re-tell history through “the eyes of the vanquished”.  The platform brings to the fore tales of migration, ethnic cleansing, and diaspora narratives of the region. For example, a recent newsletter article talks about Balochistan’s disappearances, the hundreds of people who are arrested mysteriously. 
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Instagram : @brownhistory

Past, worn

Jaipur’s Amrapali Museum is a space dedicated extensively to heritage jewellery and antique accessories. Founders Rajiv Arora and Rajesh Ajmera started the museum to showcase their personal collections of tribal ornaments. The museum has pieces such as a gilded silver pandan container, a 19th century dancer who doubles up as a wine flask, and a majestic gulab paash (sprinkler) from Jaisalmer, used to sprinkle rosewater.
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Instagram :@amrapalimuseum

Poetic memory

Ind.igenous is a platform that captures stories of the Indian subcontinent in the form of photos, exhibition pictures, and film stills, unravelling the stories and history they contain. For example, the blog showcases stills from the 1978 Tamil film Aval Appadithaan, which starred Kamal Haasan and Sripriya, and tells the story of the fiercely opinionated character Manju and her fight against misogyny.
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Instagram: @ind.igenous

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