Samuel Ezekiel Divekar from Shaar Harahamim Synagogue

Sir Samuel was caught and imprisoned by the forces of Tipu Sultan of Mysore. When he feared that his death was near, he prayed with all his heart to be saved from the merciless soldiers and promised to build a place of worship if it had been so. Thus, he built the Shaar Harahamim Synagogue – the oldest synagogue of the Bene Israeli Jewish community of Mumbai, located in the Mandvi locality, on Samuel Street after he was released from captivity and thus plotted his name in the pages of history. Sir Samuel is flaunted in a traditional Israeli outfit with a jacket, trouser, well cut shoes and a hat. He also holds a sword which adds to the persona of the figure.  

2. Firoz Shah from Chauburji Masjid

Firoz Shah Tughlaq has always been known to be a magnificent builder with unconventional architectural design and also considered the father of the irrigation system in India for channelizing rivers to run water through canals to a large part of the country. as he aimed for the prolific development of his kingdom. The Chauburji Masjid was another marvel that he envisioned to be built and added to the Mughal heritage structures. He is adorned in the classic Mughal dress – known as jama with patka sash tied around the waist and pajama style pants. His jewellery is embellished with precious stones as well as his royal turban which is a state of pride for the Mughal sultans.  

3. Duke Fransesco Fosari from Chauburji Masjid

Duke Fransesco Fosari was one of the rare noble families that held a hereditary place in the Great Council of Venice after Serrata (“Closing”) of the Great Council, and had commenced to rise in fame throughout the 14th century. He had been a respected guest of Sultan Firoz Shah for his hunting expeditions also known as ‘Kushk-i-Shikar’. The style of dressing depicted here is an intricately gold detailed velvet gown and an embellished crown adorning his head. Feathers and silver linings are also used to make the outfit look more royal and elegant.  

4. Ruttonshi Mulji Jetha Fountain

Ruttonshi Mulji Jetha Fountain is a listed heritage structure erected in the year 1894 commissioned by Ruttonshi Mulji who was a cotton merchant and desired to honor the death of his only son who took his last breath at the age of 5. The statue of the small boy atop the fountain epitomizes the small boy namely Dharamsi Mulji. The dressing style here is kept simple with a dhoti-kurta combination though the figurine is showcased in a statue form.  

5. Zainab from the Hanuman Temple

Zainab is a 21^st century teenage Muslim girl who visits the Hanuman Temple with her friend Aisha and discovers significant information of how the Hanuman Temple came into being. She was enthralled with the architecture and how the structure still holds its glory. She has been depicted here in a modern sense of style with a hijab and a salwar combo.      

The views, information, or opinions expressed above are solely those of the author(s) involved and do not necessarily represent those held by India Lost & Found and its creative community.

Hi, I’m Sayani Paul…

• Lady Hardringe

This illustration is of Lady Hardinge, who established the Lady Hardinge Medical College for women in 1914. The character’s design was inspired from the 20th century wherein there is a rose pattern on the dress and a flower brooch is also patterned on the dress.

• Arana

This illustration is of Arana, a young photographer. The character was made for Hutheesing Haveli and its design was inspired from the 21th century woman, and one can see more detailing was given to have expressive eyes and overall character.

• Umang Hutheesing

This illustration is of Umang Hutheesing, who belongs to the 5th generation of the Hutheesing family of Ahmedabad. The character was made for Hutheesing Haveli and the character’s designing was inspired from the 21th century with detailing focused on the shawl.

• Bird

This illustration is of a bird. This character was made for the William Fraser McDonell’ Fountain at Kolkata and detailing can be seen on the wings and body too.

• Lion

This illustration is of a lion. It was made once again for the William Fraser McDonell’ Fountain at Kolkata and the detailing was focused on the body and the lion’s hairs.  

The views, information, or opinions expressed above are solely those of the author(s) involved and do not necessarily represent those held by India Lost & Found and its creative community.

Hi, I’m Yuvraj Singh Kaushal …

Hi, I’m Yuvraj Singh Kaushal! I am an architecture student and currently pursuing my degree at Symbiosis Skills and Professional University, Pune.

I love to make paintings and sculptures in my free time as a hobby and have been working with India Lost and Found since the past 5 months. In this short period of time I gained a lot of experience and it helped me with designing, color compositions and improving my skills in using Illustrator.

“If we always find mud around us, it proves that there is mud somewhere within us.”

                                                                                 -Mira alfassa (the mother)

Auroville – a town that belongs to earth is a perfect example of sustainable habitat. A city with perfect balance between human and nature . Once a dream of Sri Aurobindo and the mother today is a reality. The mother dreamt of a new society: balanced, just, harmonious and dynamic. Thereupon, she saw that “the earth is not ready to realise such an ideal” and therefore called it ‘A Dream’ which today is a reality. 

Architecture and design within Auroville are highly experimental around natural architecture. Natural architecture takes advantage of locally available building materials, as well as the layout and contours of the project site.

 On my virtual visit to this universal town, I discovered a new path to sustainable living. Today when the idea of sustainability has globally taken centre stage Auroville ends up becoming a model because of its eco-friendly, cost-effective and vernacular architecture.

Do have a Virtual visit to Auroville:

@GottaDoIndia

The views, information, or opinions expressed above are solely those of the author(s) involved and do not necessarily represent those held by India Lost & Found and its creative community.

Hello there, I’m Mihika Khare…

I’m an art enthusiast and architecture student . I am passionate about learning and researching the untold monuments of the past. My Keen interest is in exploring the various aspects of art, heritage, and culture. I believe my real strength is my ability to create creative and unique vector illustrations. 

Organising the week seemed easy at first but who knew that the whole process would take so much time. We began with brainstorming and ended up with a mountain of ideas. It was a tedious task, selecting the ideas and choosing which one we should take up for the event. Each department came up with vibrant ideas which we showcased on the stories of our Instagram page. Each day saw a different kind of story take-over ranging from guessing the place from the silhouette, guessing movies from the historical site, getting to know different facts and incidents about a place and much more. It elated us to see people post their own images at various heritage sites and share their stories with us.

As they say, all hard work always pays off, ours too did. By the time we came to the end of the week, we had garnered over thousands of views and eight to nine hundred interactions per day. It gave us immense pleasure to know that people not only enjoyed our stories but also learnt from them. Even in difficult times, we garnered such a huge response and it gave us a ray of hope that we might have been able to bring some joy to the lives of others. We concluded the event by celebrating our hardworking and very enthusiastic interns and revealing the team who worked day and night behind the whole event. Even though this was the first event that I led at ILF, it was a major success. I can’t thank each one of my mates at ILF who supported me and the social media department who rocked the stage with their graphics and video compilation in a very short duration of time. 

Three Cheers to the success of  ILF Heritage week and to each person who worked for it!!

The views, information, or opinions expressed above are solely those of the author(s) involved and do not necessarily represent those held by India Lost & Found and its creative community.

Hey, I’m Khushi Kesari…

Hello everyone, happiness speaking. Just kidding, Hi my name is Khushi Kesari and well that does mean happiness right? I am the Illustration and Animation head at India Lost and Found. Honestly, I don’t know how I stumbled upon this opportunity but I’m glad I did. A history lover and artist by nature, I love exploring new places, meeting new people and enjoying their stories. I paint my heart out and speak anything and everything. I love eating and the best way to become my friend is by sharing food with me!!