Kishwar Desai | Mughal art a big draw in London; Camilla turns into a fan of ayurveda
I was impressed to read that Queen Camilla actually did yoga at the wellness centre, Soukya, near Bengaluru. (Yoga is not so easy to adapt to at a later age, unless you have been an early practitioner.) She and Charles stopped by at the health resort secretly, on their way back to London from Samoa. We all knew that Charles has long been a fan of alternative medicine — and it is interesting to know that despite his cancer he would like to try therapies which could aid recovery. That is impressive — but very few know that Camilla is also opting for some of these alternate methods.
Thus, it was a surprise to learn that she is down with a chest infection on her return to London. She was meant to attend some Remembrance Day events today (November 11) and may be unable to attend.
Clearly, it has been a difficult time for the royal family since the late queen passed away. Both Princess Catherine and King Charles are recovering from cancer, and one hopes that Camilla continues with her yoga which may help her overcome this infection. With other royals like Harry and Andrew out of the picture, more and more of the work will now land on Prince William’s shoulders.
Cancel all other plans. London has the most splendid exhibition of Mughal art and artefacts at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was inaugurated in a brilliant launch of about 100 invited guests with a dinner in the Raphael gallery on the eve of the US presidential election. India was represented by Vikram Doraiswamy, the high commissioner.
Impressively 40 per cent of the exhibition called “The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence” is derived from the V. and A.’s own collection. The historical grandeur of the pieces actually begins with Akbar’s reign. Babar was not interested and Humayun had an interrupted rule. However, it was when he was in exile after being defeated by Sher Shah that he spent his days in the Persian court. It was here that the Mongols from the northern borders of China learnt the refined arts and manners of Persian culture. Akbar was the first Mughal emperor to enjoy a long-enough reign and prosperity to cultivate the arts. But even better was the rule of his descendants Jahangir and Shah Jahan.
These two Mughal emperors inherited the empire which stretched up to Kabul in the northwest till Gujarat in the west and Hyderabad in the south. The two had little to conquer and a lot to decorate and enjoy. The exhibition is stunning because you see the influence of Chinese, Japanese as well as Italian elements which are incorporated in the paintings which display mosques and palaces, feasts and processions.
The colours are equally diverse and vibrant. These large paintings are a different world from the miniatures. There are also copies of manuscripts and a vast array of arms and artefacts which are quite unique, including one dagger that has 1,685 rubies.
The dazzling array of beautiful objects stretches through many rooms. Tristram Hunt, formerly Labour MP and now in charge of V&A, has put together this fantastic exhibition acquiring objects from around the world.
And yes, before the arguments on reparation begin — there are many who would like us to remember that quite a few of these of pieces were in a dilapidated condition when they were brought to London and have been carefully preserved over the years. So the query is: Were these looted or were they rescued? It is an ongoing debate.
Then while we celebrated Diwali at Trafalgar Square — and there was even a celebration at Number 10 — for most of us it is theatre and its audience who deserve a round of applause in the city.
I am personally really looking forward to seeing the theatrical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada with music by Elton John. We all enjoyed the book by Lauren Weisberger and also the film, where Anne Hathaway plays the young Weisberger, while working for the “Devil”.
The devil in question is allegedly Anna Wintour, the editor of the American Vogue. The controversy surrounding the debut novel made it into an instant best-seller. Now it is in the annals of legends of how Anna Wintour even went to see the film when it first was released, actually dressed in Prada. This is Christmas time so everything has to be OTT and fun — and that’s why the musical which begins on December 1 could not be more timely!
Meanwhile, as the Christmas season of being merry dawns on us, the National Theatre will be staging Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest (perhaps the best comedy in the English language ) later this month.
Undoubtedly, London should be at the centre of the universe this Christmas!