What: A recently released book, Jews and the Indian National Art Project traces the contribution of Jews to Indian art. From artists such as Anna Molka Ahmed, Esther David, Anish Kapoor and Siona Benjamin to photographers, architects, critics, scholars and art patrons, the book qualifies as a tome on the subject as it aims to include multiple voices making it a collector’s item. Spanning from colonial times, it records how the Jews had a vantage point as far as Indian art was concerned, as they helped Indians in finding a modern identity in art as opposed to the Colonial British who undervalued contemporary works at the cost of portraying India as ‘traditional’.

A panel from Rang de Nila by Siona Benjamin. She belongs to the Bene Israel community and uses symbolic elements from modern India, Islamic, Persian, Rajput and Mughal art. Pics courtesy/ Niyogi books