India has a rich history of art reflecting its religious, linguistic and ethnic diversity. Spanning more than 10,000 years, from prehistoric cave art in Bhimbetka, near Bhopal in central India, to Mohenjo-Daro figurative art found in stone seals, Gupta-era Ajanta caves, Mughal art and many other genres, including folk and tribal art.
But to date there has been no single source of information that students of art or enthusiasts can access. Unlike in the West, the histories of art, heritage and culture in the region are taught in specialised courses, at very few universities, and are rarely available online and almost never free of charge.
Map Academy’s digital Encyclopaedia of Art has launched to provide an accessible and extensive resource on art and artefacts from South Asia.
The project, which launched on April 21, was compiled with the Bengaluru Museum of Art & Photography, a private museum founded by art collector Abhishek Poddar. It seeks not just to display the evolution of art in the region, but to explain techniques and materials used. It attempts to tell an inclusive story, by including not only well-known artists, but also focusing on less-known talents and folk artists.
“The Map Academy Encyclopaedia of Art covers the histories of art from across the Indian subcontinent. Currently a majority of our content focuses on art from within the modern geographic boundaries of India, and we are in the process of expanding to include broader histories of South Asia,” says Nathaniel Gaskell, founder and director of Map Academy.
The encyclopaedia is organised by nine broad departments – architecture, craft, design, living traditions, modern and contemporary art, photography, popular culture, pre-modern art and textiles. From mudras in Buddhist art to Pahari manuscript painting, which flourished in the foothills of the Himalayas, the technique of gesso painting and Chola bronze sculptures, you can access information in a second.
“The encyclopaedia is written and compiled by a team of researchers, writers and editors who work and collaborate remotely across India, South-East Asia, Europe and the US,” Gaskell says. “Our approach to such a vast subject has been systematic, with the nine department categories serving as an entry point into histories of art that are as broad as they are deep. Our work is advised by a panel of scholars, writers and art practitioners from across the world, who make up our academic review panel.”
“Many books have been written and published about Indian art but sharing the knowledge of an encyclopaedia online is a great achievement, and will give to a wider and more international audience a complete overview of what our artists have achieved over the past thousands of years,” says Sonal Singh, Christie’s managing director, India.
“The combination of offering online courses is very sought after, and adds another layer to the understanding of Indian art history.”
The aim of the encyclopaedia is to “make art histories more widely accessible, based on the idea that doing so can have a positive social impact through broadening perspectives on humanity, heritage and culture".
“The resource is for everyone, from the casual, curious reader to students, researchers, scholars, academics and teachers, who may use the resource in ways that suit their particular requirements – as a learning tool, as a take-off point for further discovery within the subject or as material that might bolster their own research,” Gaskell says.
He hopes that, through the digital encyclopaedia, art from the region will reach a broader, international audience.
“Among the very few art history programmes from around the world delivered online, almost none focus exclusively on the interconnected histories of art within the Indian subcontinent, instead the discipline remains encumbered by Euro-American-centric narratives that often neglect, or fail to do enough justice to art histories of the global south. Being online, we hope to reach a wider audience than has ever been possible in the subcontinent, considering those living outside urban centres in South Asia have greater access to the internet and mobile phones.”
While there have been books written on Indian art over the years, this is the first comprehensive attempt to compile assets into an encyclopaedic format online that is accessible to all. The project also attempts to tell a more inclusive story of the history of Indian art. The team has ensured fair representation to gender and caste hierarchies, which is evident when going through the entries and seeing digital entries that represent jatra, a form of Bengali folk theatre, to Buta Kola, a form of spirit worship. It is a dive into less-known indigenous and folk-art forms.
“The encyclopaedia seeks to address many of the limitations that have long affected the study of art in the region,” Gaskell says. “That includes the underrepresentation of certain art forms, especially due to the distinctions placed between ‘high’ and ‘low’ art, the historical tendency of leaving out certain communities in the wider narrative, on the basis of gender, caste and other forms of socio-economic and political hierarchies.”
While the two primary offerings of the Map Academy – the Encyclopaedia of Art and online courses – cover a wide range of themes, from textiles to sculpture and archaeology, they also publish a blog, which features explorations into art history, written in-house by their researchers and editors, based on their own areas of interest. They are also working on a timeline of art histories from the region, as well as a podcast.
Explore the Map Academy’s digital Encyclopaedia of Art at mapacademy.io
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai
Gulf Under 19
Pool A – Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jumeirah College Tigers, Dubai English Speaking School 1, Gems World Academy
Pool B – British School Al Khubairat, Bahrain Colts, Jumeirah College Lions, Dubai English Speaking School 2
Pool C - Dubai College A, Dubai Sharks, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Yasmina
Pool D – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Deira International School
SHADOWS%20AND%20LIGHT%3A%20THE%20EXTRAORDINARY%20LIFE%20OF%20JAMES%20MCBEY
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MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
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SHAITTAN
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Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
'Dark Waters'
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, William Jackson Harper
Rating: ****
RACECARD
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
The Bio
Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years
Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves
She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
