Carnatic music and readings from Rhythms in Stone: The Temples of South India" a book by Indira Menon, at The Attic, 36, Regal Building, CP > 6:30pm on 19th January 2013

Time : 6:30 pm

Entry : Free (Seating on First-Come First-Served basis)

Place : The Attic, 36, Regal Building, Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001
Landmark : On Parliament Street close to 'The Shop' showroom & next to the 'Kwality' restaurant
Metro : Nearest Metro Station - 'Rajiv Chowk' (Yellow Line and Blue Line)

Event Description : Carnatic music and readings from Rhythms in Stone: The Temples of South India, a book by Indira Menon. Introduction by Reena Nanda.
Reena Nanda accompanied Indira Menon on her journeys across South India. The travels were recorded in diaries and photographs. Indira’s interests in music, history and architecture come together in this book about South Indian temples.
When she visited these sites in the 1970s, they had not been awarded World Heritage status, and the initial sense of wonder is not obscured by  details of architectural technicalities and details of political history  It is the exhilaration that Indira felt and was able to convey that makes this a book out of the ordinary.
Reena Nanda says “Indira Menon was for me the epitome of the European ‘Renaissance’ person. An academic who taught Economics, an authority on Carnatic music, trained by T.Brinda, the granddaughter of the legendary Vina Dhanammal.  Indira Menon wrote two books on the subject - The  Madras Quartet and The Great Masters. A connoisseur of European art and a self-taught painter whose copies of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh could have fetched a good price in the art market, she also excelled in photography producing evocative pictures of her beloved Himalayas with an ordinary camera in the sixties.  
Indira was a great traveller, in the Renaissance tradition of travel for education and enlightenment. She prepared for her tours of Europe by intensive study, taking detailed notes about the museums housing her favourite paintings, and the architectural history of historic sites and buildings. It was a treat to listen to her descriptions.  
When you  read this book , bear in mind  Indira the musician. To me her pictures evoke the music she loved, which was her life. The recordings of old concerts, both Carnatic and Hindustani vocalists, and a large collection of slides of  South Indian temple architecture and sculpture, which she has left behind reveal her many interests. And she made time to teach children of dhobis ,drivers and ayahs, despite her full timetable at Jesus & Mary College where she  established a great rapport with students. This was due to her great sense of humour, of which you will  find many examples in her text." 
Reena Nanda has an interest in conservation, and in music and travel. She has written a biography of Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay published by OUP in 2002.

Ambi publishes unusual, well-produced and well-written books about South Asia, especially related to the physical environment and built heritage, that appeal equally to specialists, occasional readers, and design aficionados. With a founding team who have great interest and experience in writing, editing, designing and printing, Ambi sees itself as a ‘niche player’ promoting the concept of writing and reading. 
For information on other books published by Ambi, see  ambiknowledgeresources.wordpress.com

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Carnatic music and readings from Rhythms in Stone: The Temples of South India" a book by Indira Menon, at The Attic, 36, Regal Building, CP > 6:30pm on 19th January 2013 Carnatic music and readings from Rhythms in Stone: The Temples of South India" a book by Indira Menon, at The Attic, 36, Regal Building, CP > 6:30pm on 19th January 2013 Reviewed by DelhiEvents on Saturday, January 19, 2013 Rating: 5

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