Fort Kurupam Themed Commemorative Jewellery1:

FORT KURUPAM IS ZAMANA2 NECKLACE AND EARRINGS

A toned-down scarlet silk-with-zardozi woven heirloom saree3 has been retrieved, in parts, to create

a necklace inspired by some of the large, heavy multi-chain necklaces worn by royalty of the Indian

subcontinent in the yesteryear, also known as ‘haro’ in Oriya, and ‘haar’ in Hindi.

The reincarnated silk is interspersed with custom-made studio-pottery tile-beads.

Some of the mural-art that is still discernible on an un-renovated section of the fort has been

artistically depicted (reverse-impressions of the wall motifs, employing an embossed effect), on

glazed ceramic.

The designs on ceramic include impressions of biodiversity- plant and bird life...an artistic rendition

of the built-up heritage conserved through this innovation. The earrings are made entirely of the

studio-pottery tiles described above. (The tiles on the necklace are a mix of fragments of the whole

picture, which is brought together in the earring-product).

This piece, as well as the Fort Kurupam Earth Empire necklace, i assigned to Mool Creations4. Studio

Pottery by Priyanka Sharma5.

1 Fort Kurupam Themed Commemorative Jewellery: Ideated, brought about and

gifted by (Princess) V. Shruti Devi of Kurupam to (Yuvraj) Jaideep Deo Bhanj

and (Yuvrani) Natasha (nee Raheja) of Daspalla on the occasion of their

wedding in December, 2015, and to mark the fiftieth year of the birth of

Princess Uttara Singh Thakore, nee Rajkumari Uttara Deo Bhanj of Daspalla,

and the sixtieth year of the birth of Raja Digvijay C. Deo Bhanj of Daspalla.

2 Is Zamana, in Hindi and Urdu, means This Era.

3 Banarasi silk saree worn by one of the Princesses of Kurupam.

In India, there was/is a traditional recycling practice in vogue, which is now on

the decline, whereby vendors went door-to-door on bicycles, buying old torn

zari sarees from people in order to extract the (“real”) gold threads, and melt

them back into usable gold.

Perhaps it is time to upcycle the existing fabrics in multiple ways, weaving new

life into the histories of the many lands that were touched by the land and sea

silk-trade routes!

4 Note on Mool Creations: Up-cycled, environment friendly, handmade fabric-

jewellery, inspired by Gandhian traditions. Team: Paramjeet Bernad, STEP’s

Peace Entrepreneur Fellow; Deshpande Fellow, and Lalasa Kumari.

The Is Zamana Necklace and Earrings6

FORT KURUPAM EARTH EMPIRE7 NECKLACE AND EARRINGS

5Priyanka Sharma is a studio potter and jewellery designer.

She is the Ceramics and Studio Pottery Director of Museo de la Vida, a design

house and consultancy based in Delhi and Goa, and also works as an Associate

with Rachna Parashar.

6 Is Zamana necklace and earrings placed on Tussar Silk and photographed by

VSD.

The central pendant for this neck-piece is from the retrieved section of a silk ikkat saree8.

The large elephant motif is a typical ikkat weave of Orissa and Andhra, and is a symbol of trade

histories with distant lands, including via the sea-route with south-east Asia....similar influences on

fabric are associated with areas in and around the islands of Indonesia. The Bali Jatra in Orissa

commemorates these traditional seafaring routes. Ikka-like work is noticed in the weaves of Iran as

well.

The elephant is a symbol of India’s current potential for diplomatic and cultural outreach, picking up

numerous civilizational threads from the land and sea silk-routes and biodiversity corridors and

hotspot areas.

The dangling earrings are made of a diamond-shaped piece of silk ikkat from the same saree. The

weave on this part of the fabric is that of a yellow star, here, symbolising the sun and other

phenomena in the galaxies9. Below this, hangs a blood-red ruby-shaped drop cut from the same

cloth.

7 Earth Empire: The elephant-silk combination is an artistic interpretation of the history as well as the existing potential of the trade and cultural roots and routes that the region represents. (Themes: Conservation and appropriate planning of water resources, solar and offshore wind energy, biodiversity and people’s livelihoods, earth-in-space, grassroots democracy, connections and commonalities between and amongst ancient and not-so-ancient cultures, royalty and tribes, and world peace). The elephant motif, in this context, alludes to a part of the Kurupam Zamindari’s coat-of-arms, or monogram, which is an elephant on a crown, with the motto: ad altiora/altoria(?) nitimur, which has been translated to ‘there is a higher authority’, and is seen as an acknowledgement, by potential invaders, that the family is the higher authority, or in any event, has the spiritual connect with greater powers. It must also be noted that with the many influences of Buddhism in these areas, the spiritual imagery and mythology associated with the realms and other worlds thought to be held by elephants cannot be ruled out. In more recent contexts, it represents the human-animal conflict and related issues of land and forest rights of scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers. Another elephant motif from the same saree has been used, in the more recent past, to embellish a western-style yellow skirt by the author of this piece. 8 This saree has been worn by Rani V. Preeti Devi of Kurupam. 9 These elements of the macrocosm and microcosm brought together in a fine

balance of axes signify the juxtaposition of opposites in nature. Of the thesis,

anti-thesis and synthesis of all things, as it were.

The specially-made studio etched pottery tiles with a burnished look depict leafy designs from the

walls of the ruins.

Yellow and blue ceramic and glass beads that blend in and depict solar energy and water resources

embellish the piece that is woven together with earthen-coloured brown threads.

Studio Pottery by Priyanka Sharma.

Implemented by Mool Creations.

The Earth Empire Necklace and Earrings10

10

Earth Empire necklace and earrings placed on Tussar Silk and photographed

by VSD.

FORT KURUPAM SWIRLED WORLD PENDANT

The Swirled World pendant is made of sterling silver, and is recycled from silver11.

The spirals of this piece were meant to be a depiction of a portion of a gate near the western/back

boundary of the fort’s compound that once led to guest rooms for visiting staff. The foliage,

comprising of semi-precious peridot stones, was meant to depict a part of the present orchard that

surrounds a semi-closed swimming pool with water lilies.

However, the product that emerged from the artist’s workshop resembles similar spiral-walls with

steeper inclines that adorn the current eastern office-block, and another set of swirls that were

unceremoniously, possibly unintentionally knocked down in the 1990s by a vehicle carrying

construction material to the southern wing of the main building.

The leaves,12 which appear on straight lines raining down on the wavy spirals, rather than the

imagined twirly leaves, call to mind visions of aircraft landing on ships at sea.

The mystic geometry associated with spirals inspired the choice of this design for this pendant. This

part of the project, and the Earth Visionary brooch and tie bar, i assigned to Suman Mishra13 of

Smishing.

11

From the note from Suman Mishra on Technical Details:

“Metal: Recyled 92.5 Sterling Silver

Stones: Marquis Peridot Approx Silver weight: 21 gms

Dimensions: 5 by 5 cms.”

12

Peridot stones sourced online via the Jaipur Gems (JG) website.

13 Note on Suman Mishra, Smishing, from their website: “Suman Mishra is a

line of jewelry by designer Suman Mishra, who does both her designing as well

as production in-house. "Suman Mishra" specializes in 92.5 Sterling Silver

jewelry while occasionally dabbling in costume jewelry (brass and other

materials). In an effort to be environmentally sustainable, Suman Mishra

Jewelry is made from recycled silver. This involves a process of retrieving

silver from old ornaments, silverware and zari borders from old sarees and

lehengas. This silver is then refined to achieve pure silver which is used in

making the jewelry.” Team of crafts-persons for the pieces: S. Raj: Metallurgy

and Head Craftsperson; S. Badshah: Stone-setting.

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The Swirled World Pendant14

14

Swirled World pendant placed on a sky-blue Suman Mishra winged jewelry

box and photographed with relatively low light by VSD.

FORT KURUPAM EARTH VISIONARY BROOCH AND TIE BAR

The Earth Visionary Brooch and Tie Bar is a new jewelry design concept by Shruti. It is a unisex

product.

The design is based on a view of balconies of the fort. Fruit bats, or flying foxes, with their ultra-

violet vision and lawyer or Dracula-like black gowns, use this air path to make their way to trees in

the nearby forests to roost.

The night skies here make for a vivid viewing of the moon15 and stars on cloudless evenings,

undisturbed by too much artificial light.

This design was taken forward and implemented by Suman Mishra of Smishing16.

15

Full Moon (Purna Chandra, Hindi for full moon), was the name of the Late

Raja Purna Chandra Deo Bhanj of Daspalla, depicted by a Citrine gemstone,

sourced online from the Jaipur Gems (JG) website. 16

Note from Suman Mishra on Technical Details for the Earth Visionary

Brooch and Tie Bar:

“Metal: Recyled 92.5 Sterling Silver

Stones: Citrine

Approx Silver weight: 15 gms

Dimensions: 7 cms by 2.3 cms

Additional Feature - This pieces works both as a Tie Bar as well as a

Brooch.While it has a clip that helps slip it onto a tie, it also has a slot for a pin

that helps pin it up as a brooch.

Reference for the design: Sketch by V Shruti Devi, of the ramparts of the Fort.

The reference for the bat silhouette is that of the Flying Fox bat.”

The Earth Visionary Brooch and Tie Bar17

17

Earth Visionary brooch and tie bar placed on a Suman Mishra winged jewelry

box, and photographed with relatively low light by VSD.

FORT KURUPAM PEOPLE’S RECLAMATION18 SOUVENIR

This multi-chain necklace is made of recycled everyday items.

The choker at the top represents the design of an European-style bannister that has been recycled

within the fort as a part of a renovation process earlier this century.

The other chains showcase charms that are themed after the staircase that the bannister was affixed

to.

The bannister and chains display a leather-effect, and are made of tyre tubes.

The book-charms are made of recycled leather-bits, the piano and vintage-car charms are made of

cut CDs (compact discs), the snake and wildlife trophy are primarily made of rope, and the bat is

inscribed on the inside of a beer-bottle cap, the crown is made of a part of a plastic picnic fork. The

recycled ghungroo19-bell that serves as a jewel for this crown represents the many jewels on many

tiaras worn over years and generations. The current aspiration, driven by the indications of the

present Government of India’s unravelling foreign policy which is a fine example of a continuity of

governance (as it should be, with successful democracies with efficient, constitution-respecting

bureaucracies) from the preceding UPA2 government’s policies, with appropriate course-

corrections, no doubt, would be to tactfully retrieve the Kohinoor diamond of the subcontinent from

the British monarchy with the appropriate narratives and justifications,20and with a view to making it

18

People’s Reclamation is, at the outset, a reference to the successful working

of democracy, as also to the concept of reclaiming and recycling garbage.

19

Ghungroo: Anklets with bunches of small, circular bells, usually associated

with Indian dance attire. Also the name of a popular New Delhi discotheque in

the 1980s. 20

Representatives of the past known holders and those from the area of origin

of the famed diamond (the Godavari river, Andhra Pradesh), could be a part of,

initially, a discussion-group to bring together all relevant exiting institutions and

networks onto a platform of socio-political and cultural consultation.

Rather than re-inventing the wheel, existing networks could be roped into this

effort in a systematic and focused way. The primary aim would be to continue

to build chains of trust and understanding, also known as confidence-building-

measures (a part of multi-track diplomacy) amongst communities and between

nations.

It is worth considering the revised role of ex-royals (democratically-inclined,

with women being accorded equal status in what were earlier feudal structures,

albeit often with with much progress still to be made, looking at it from a from a

liberal perspective), of India in this context.

If a multi-national registered society were to be formed, that could be under the

purview of India’s Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), then the

the symbolic centrepiece of peace and prosperity in the post-colonial world, in a well-planned,

politico-legal and calibrated fashion.

Before the renovations in the early 2000s and a 1990s burglary, after which security concerns took

over, the general public used to wander up the old staircase, and, en route and upstairs, would be

treated to views of personal belongings and memorabilia of times past, such as the remnants of a

grand piano, a colonial-era library of books, wildlife trophies, as well as friendly house-bats and the

occasional snakes, scorpions and the like, possibly because, for a few decades, the granary was

shifted to some of the rooms inside the main building.

The family being active participants in India’s democratic processes, the premises has hosted

thousands of people over the years, to hear and solve their problems. They continue to be relevant

hosts, and rise to the occasion for dialogue, counselling and informal arbitration when they deem

appropriate and necessary, such as to evolve national-level policies and plans, and encourage and

empower local and international institutions of governance and public policy to perform their co-

related democratic, advisory and ‘implementational’ or bureaucratic roles efficiently.

In the context of the material used for this piece (recycled garbage), meetings were hosted at the

fort, almost fifteen years ago, connected to waste management and the conservation of biodiversity.

The suggestions were recorded as a part of India’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan21.

opportunities from the current flux in the world economy could be employed,

and, indeed, deployed, to dovetail with this effort.

As far as tribal areas go, if and only if Trifed (Tribal Federation: a sort of co-

operative under the Govt. of India’s Ministry of Tribal Affairs) is restructured,

as has been recommended after the passing of the Forest Rights Act, to bring

Trifed in sync with the Forest Rights Act, then it will make sense to

internationalize Trifed, which will have the potential to serve to address other

cross-border issues, as has also been suggested by the author of this piece, also

in writing (via email), in the past, to the Government of India’s Ministry of

Tribal Affairs. At the current juncture, it is time to take these suggestions

forward to next steps.

One word of caution regarding the role of women in the context of rights of

Scheduled Tribes in India, is that single tribal women (primarily unmarried

girls), should have equal rights to property, and to this end, children of

scheduled tribe women who marry (or have children) outside the community

should be on the same footing as that of children of scheduled tribe men who

marry (or have children) outside the community. The certification process needs

to be brought into sync with this imperative through appropriate Government

Orders (G.Os). 21

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan - India (NBSAP): V. Shruti

Devi of Kurupam was on the national-level Technical and Policy Core Group

(TPCG) of this process, which included a North-coastal Andhra sub-state plan.

The garage and office blocks have been venues, during the annual Dasara poojas22, for a

competition-and-exhibition of recycled products made by the local population.

The organization to which one assigned the task of producing the Fort Kurupam People’s

Reclamation Necklace is Sweccha Foundation.23

The nodal agency for the plan was a Kurupam-based non-governmental

organization, Grameena Punarnirmana Kendram (GPK), represented by K.

Sanyasi Raju. It was concluded that the segregating of garbage at the household

level would only make sense if there was a proper plan for what happened to the

garbage after that. However, arrangements did come about, thereafter, to have

all the garbage collected and transported to an agreed-upon landfill. Awareness

regarding composting was created, and taken forward by those who could afford

it. Fifteen years later, it is now urgent to plan beyond the landfill, and to address

the issues of the disposal of toxic wastes such as from e-waste including

batteries, and also of bio-medical waste. Ideally, the current Swacch Bharat plan

of the Central Government should work towards solving this through according

high priority to technologies for non-polluting waste disposal, while addressing

waste management in a multi-pronged manner.

22

Earlier generations of the family used to host various competitions and games

during the ten days of the Dasara Pooja, and hosting such events was in keeping

with reviving some of that heritage, but with a contemporary twist.

23

Sweccha: Swechha is a Delhi based youth organization working on issues of

environment, education and empowerment since 2001. We aim to inspire, create

and support just, equitable and sustainable societies driven by youth. Our

interventions focus on social welfare and development with environment as one

of the main thrust areas. Swechha has worked closely with more than 70

organizations across the world including UNDP, CNN, American Center,

Genpact, Nokia Siemens Networks and NDMC.

Swechha has developed expertise and experience in engaging young people in

innovative programmes, campaigns and events. Our interventions in schools,

colleges and communities focus on perspective-building and action for

impactful change. We have worked with more than 100,000 young people so

far.

Swechha Store – Swechha Store is Swechha’s fair trade arm established in 2009

that makes products out of waste. Work at Swechha Store primarily entails

The People’s Reclamation Necklace24

upcycling waste, generating livelihood for disadvantaged people and spreading

environmental consciousness. Along with encouraging the consumers to make

responsible choices, Swechha Store creates employment opportunities for

people from marginalized sections of the society. They are actively engaged in

production, sales and other operational aspects of the enterprise. Livelihood

generation is a very crucial part of Swechha Store as an enterprise. Provision of

fair wages and a safe, respectable and healthy work environment is of prime

importance.

Team for the co-ordination and preparation of this product: Vimlendu Jha and

Bunkim Chadha.

24

People’s Reclamation necklace placed on a green yoga mat and photographed

by VSD.

FORT KURUPAM TIMESCAPE25 PENDANT-CHAIN

The Timescape Earrings are based on impressions of a multi-layered window-piece within the old

ruined courtyard. This area is a part of where the prayer room/s were located till 2003, when a set of

pooja rooms at a more vaastu-friendly location of the compound were created.

The bricks, and various swathes of construction present themselves in a deconstructed fashion,

setting the stage for the archaeologist’s analytical eye.

Brought to life in the form of earrings, the designs evoke influences of myriad cultures.

This piece was assigned to my cousin in Jaipur who designs jewellery: Gitanjali Ranawat of Simply

Olive.

The Fort Kurupam Timescape Necklace26

25

Timescape is a term that has been coined here, to, among other things, refer to

the concepts of the many Realms and Dimensions that Buddhist, Hindu,

Scientific and ‘pagan’ theories and beliefs dwell upon. Another landmark, time-

wise, in this geographical area, has been division of the state of Andhra Pradesh

into the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. This area falls under Andhra

Pradesh, and in effect, many features of a new state within the country, (such as

the planning of a new capital) are underway. At times such as these, it is

worthwhile to look at histories, influences, narratives and collective

consciousness, and to interpret things past in a fashion that will work towards

the betterment and the welfare of the people, and, indeed, of the world.

FORT KURUPAM MOR DIVINE27 NECKLACE

The Mor Divine necklace is based on the embossed designs that appear on ceramic tiles that remain

affixed on the wooden doors to the old pooja/prayer room.

Fruit, flowers and peacocks in a mixture of pastel and vivid shades point towards an interesting mix

of east and west...a notional link between Asia and Europe, harking back to pre-religious times,

when spirituality and magic held traction.

A celebration of the high sciences and unseen energies, often described as divine. A reminder that

humans and their actions are also a part of Nature, and that Truth alone shall triumph28.

Aspirations of a forward-movement in the inter-faith dialogue, pointing towards the peace-winning

potential of the spirit of yoga and meditation, particularly through pranayam breathing, and

chanting Aum in the spirit of the humility, infinity and scientific interface of the Gayatri Manrta29 and

other similar practices from all religions and non-religions.

Actualization and implementation of concept by Simply Olive.30

26

Timescape necklace placed on Tussar Silk with an accompanying fancy

pouch, and photographed by VSD.

27

Mor Divine translates to Peacock Divine.

28

Truth alone shall triumph, ie., Satyameva Jayatey, is India’s motto.

29

Gayatri Mantra: A Vedic mantra that the author of this piece has explored

through chanting, and through a limited reading of the endless literature that is

available on the topic.

30

Simply Olive: “Simply Olive is a jewelry label, from Jaipur, India, whose

whimsical collection of handmade and casting jewelry takes inspiration from

the traditions, colours, patterns and symbols of cultures from around the world.

Created by two friends who believe jewelry in any form can act as a symbol of

the depth within us all. When worn, it can remind us and enhance this depth....

We use recycled materials whenever possible and we use genuine and conflict-

free stones in all of our designs. We strive to be authentic and we do this by

maintaining close relationships with everyone involved in producing the

SIMPLY OLIVE line.”

The Mor Divine Necklace (Photo courtesy Gitanjali Ranawat of Simply Olive)