The classic Bani Thani painting made by Vaishnavdas in 1979 is carefully kept in the Vyas workshop. "None of the artists of today can match the accuracy of this painting," says Anil Vyas. All photos by Sanket Jain for The National
The classic Bani Thani painting made by Vaishnavdas in 1979 is carefully kept in the Vyas workshop. "None of the artists of today can match the accuracy of this painting," says Anil Vyas. All photos by Sanket Jain for The National
A 4ft x 4ft folk painting sells for as little as $60 today.
A 4ft x 4ft folk painting sells for as little as $60 today.
Vaishnavdas's handmade sketches serve as a blueprint for future generation artists. He had sensed that commercialisation would take over the art and so left behind more than 60 such sketches of the Kishangarh School of Art.
Vaishnavdas's handmade sketches serve as a blueprint for future generation artists. He had sensed that commercialisation would take over the art and so left behind more than 60 such sketches of the Kishangarh School of Art.
More than 100 painters once worked in the Vyas workshop in Rajasthan’s Kishangarh town in the 1980s. Today, that number is down to 10.
More than 100 painters once worked in the Vyas workshop in Rajasthan’s Kishangarh town in the 1980s. Today, that number is down to 10.
Anil Vyas, who has made more than 10,000 Bani Thani paintings and mastered the art, doesn’t use a pencil or eraser while sketching.
Anil Vyas, who has made more than 10,000 Bani Thani paintings and mastered the art, doesn’t use a pencil or eraser while sketching.
Phoolchand Saini, 43, painter, asks: "How much importance is given to the drawing and arts in schools?"
Phoolchand Saini, 43, painter, asks: "How much importance is given to the drawing and arts in schools?"
Bani Thani artists have started adopting different styles, including the velvet paintings shown here.
Bani Thani artists have started adopting different styles, including the velvet paintings shown here.
Hiralal Sahakla, an artist in his early sixties, says: "I am no more in fine arts. I make commercial paintings."
Hiralal Sahakla, an artist in his early sixties, says: "I am no more in fine arts. I make commercial paintings."
Portraits of Bani Thani and King Savant Singh made by Anil Vyas, one of the last handful of painters who retain the traditional style with accuracy.
Portraits of Bani Thani and King Savant Singh made by Anil Vyas, one of the last handful of painters who retain the traditional style with accuracy.
A self-portrait of Vaishnavdas Vyas.
A self-portrait of Vaishnavdas Vyas.
Anil Vyas, left, and Rajesh Vyas are both painters and are the last generation of artists in their family to keep the Bani Thani art alive.
Anil Vyas, left, and Rajesh Vyas are both painters and are the last generation of artists in their family to keep the Bani Thani art alive.
Rajesh says there’s a lot of demand for the Pichwai paintings now.
Rajesh says there’s a lot of demand for the Pichwai paintings now.
Pichwai paintings are devotional paintings made on cloth that narrate the tales of Lord Krishna and are usually hung at the backdrop of Lord Shrinath (a form of Krishna).
Pichwai paintings are devotional paintings made on cloth that narrate the tales of Lord Krishna and are usually hung at the backdrop of Lord Shrinath (a form of Krishna).
Vaishnavdas’s daughter, Rajni.
Vaishnavdas’s daughter, Rajni.

Art

'India's Mona Lisa': How Bani Thani paintings face extinction for the first time in 270 years

The pandemic and an unwillingness to pay full price for fine art in Kishangarh mean proud artists are having to turn to commercial work to make ends meet

Sanket Jain

April 06, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

Anil Vyas has spent more than 156,000 hours mastering his painting skills. He remembers something his uncle, Vaishnavdas Vyas, said to him in the 1970s: “No matter what happens, don’t let the art die despite commercialisation.” He also often warned him: “Once you commercialise an art, it loses its value and dies.”

More than four decades later, this is exactly what is happening to his beloved crop of Bani Thani paintings.

What is a Bani Thani painting?

Vaishnavdas was one of the finest Bani Thani painters of Kishangarh town in India’s Rajasthan state, having trained more than 150 artists.

Bani Thani, originally named Vishnupriya, was a poet and singer employed in the kingdom of Savant Singh, who later became the ruler's lover. In 1727, she was brought to the princely state of Kishangarh in Ajmer district, which was founded by Maharaja Kisan Singh Rathore in 1609, from India’s national capital Delhi.

Anil Vyas, who has made more than 10,000 Bani Thani paintings and mastered the art, doesn’t use a pencil and eraser while sketching. Sanket Jain for The National
Anil Vyas, who has made more than 10,000 Bani Thani paintings and mastered the art, doesn’t use a pencil and eraser while sketching. Sanket Jain for The National

Nihal Chand, a Kishangarh artist, first painted her side portrait in the mid-18th century upon Singh’s instructions. His depiction included elongated facial features with arched eyebrows, serpentine spiralling hair, the pointed nose and chin with deeply curved eyes, and lotus-like eyes, all of which led to the birth of a style of painting that barely lives on to this day.

The art galleries and souvenir shops in the bigger cities are exploiting the artists

Nearly 300 years later, Kishangarh, with a population of almost 160,000, according to a 2011 census, is the only town in the world left with a handful of Bani Thani painters today.

One of them is Anil, 62, who has created more than 10,000 Bani Thani paintings in his lifetime, and yet he still feels he’s nowhere near close to the quality of portraits made by Chand and his uncle.

"The difference lies in the accuracy," he tells The National. Several artists can hand-make Bani Thani paintings, but it's only a handful who truly understand the intricate details of the Kishangarh School of Art, he says.

A fall from grace

From 1765 to 1780, Chand made several paintings that became globally renowned, placing Kishangarh on the world's art map. Themes included elephants, hunting wild animals, court scenes, portraits of rulers, dance forms – and all of these were often placed in panoramic landscapes that became his signature.

Since then, global art connoisseurs and foreign tourists have been in awe of Bani Thani paintings, which are also referred to as "India’s Mona Lisa".

“This painting is usually given as a gift,” Anil’s younger brother, Rajesh, 50, explains. But while the artist who paints it on a fabric gets a mere 500 Indian rupees ($7) for 10 hours of work, the end customer pays as high as $165 for a 4-foot by 4-ft painting from a shop, as they're often sold to ‘premium’ art ventures in Udaipur, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and other major metropolises.

Anil Vyas, left, and Rajesh Vyas are among the last generation of artists in their family to keep Bani Thani art alive. Sanket Jain for The National
Anil Vyas, left, and Rajesh Vyas are among the last generation of artists in their family to keep Bani Thani art alive. Sanket Jain for The National

“The art galleries and souvenir shops in the bigger cities are exploiting the artists,” says Rajesh, who has been overlooking the sales side of the family business for the past three decades. “Rarely do art lovers buy it directly from us."

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While more than 60 different workshops, founded by renowned Bani Thani painters from the 1950s, employ thousands of artists in Kishangarh today, with meagre pay and increasing competition, they've had to start exploring other, more commercial art forms.

This includes miniature wood paintings, traditional postcards and the revenue papers of Kishangarh, as well as marble souvenirs. They also make more than 11 different sizes of Pichwai, which are devotional paintings made on cloth that narrate the tales of Lord Krishna and are usually hung behind Lord Shrinath (a form of Krishna).

Vaishnavdas’ workshop, which once had more than 100 professional painters in the 1970s, is now down to 10. In February 2020, Rajesh got an order of 1,500 folk art paintings, with the price for every 4ft by 4ft work at $60 per piece. He was to deliver these within six months, but, with lockdown declared by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24, giving people four hours' notice, finances dried up, and it took him more than six months to resume the commercial orders. Even in March 2021, they are still 750 paintings short.

A self-portrait of Vaishnavdas Vyas. Sanket Jain for The National
A self-portrait of Vaishnavdas Vyas. Sanket Jain for The National

On top of that, with the pandemic continuing to affect tourism in India, not a single Bani Thani painting was bought between March and August 2020 for the first time in 270 years.

'Society needs to understand the role arts play'

One of the oldest artists in Rajesh and Anil's workshop, Hiralal Sahakla, who is in his early sixties, says: “I am no more in fine arts. I make commercial paintings.” In the past three decades, he has had to also learn modern art and undertake mural projects.

Rajni, Vaishnavdas’s daughter, who is in her early forties, adds: “My father painted the Bani Thani in 1979, which we’ve kept in the workshop even today, but now the artists can’t give enough time to the fine art and it reflects in their work.”

Rajni, Vaishnavdas’s daughter. Sanket Jain for The National
Rajni, Vaishnavdas’s daughter. Sanket Jain for The National

The challenge, she says, is keeping the art form alive while making ends meet. The artists fear that soon, however, it might go extinct because of a lack of state support and rapid commercialisation. “There needs to be a fine balance between the fine and commercial art,” says Anil. This balance, he says, “cannot be maintained by the artist alone. Society needs to understand arts and the role it plays.”

As a cost-cutting measure, the artists now use commercial oil and watercolours. “Earlier, we used the natural stone colours that are unaffordable now,” Rajesh explains. The brush they use is made from the hair of the squirrel’s tail, which is cheaper than others. “You won’t be able to paint Bani Thani using any other brush because of the fine detailing it requires,” he explains.

Say goodbye to Bani Thani?

Anil says that in the 1980s, the renowned artists of Kishangarh earned as high as $272 monthly. Today, an elite artist working in a bigger workshop can earn as much as $600 per month, but the majority of those earnings will come from commercial projects.

“The more time you spend on mastering the art, the more you will realise how it’s been destroyed with the market structures,” he says, a tinge of sadness in his voice. In the past two decades, he has had to start taking contracts for painting temple walls, railway stations and other open spaces. “If I don’t take the commercial orders, how will the artists dependent on this survive?”

A four-foot by 4ft folk painting sells for as little as $60. Sanket Jain for The National
A four-foot by 4ft folk painting sells for as little as $60. Sanket Jain for The National

Rajesh asks an important question: “If artists are forced to make four paintings every day, how will they learn the art?" Phoolchand Saini, 43, another painter, takes that further. “How much importance is given to the drawing and arts in schools? How will the younger generation understand the importance of what we paint?”

Even if artists spend months mastering the fine art, rarely can they find any buyers willing to pay full price. “An artist wants someone to buy their artwork, but if no one is willing to pay what it deserves, we are forced to sell it for a throwaway price,” says Anil, who fears he didn't heed his uncle's words of warning back in the 1970s.

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While you're here
What is Reform?

Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.

It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.

Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.

After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.

Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.

The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.

On Women's Day
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How to register as a donor

1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention

2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants

3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register. 

4) The campaign uses the hashtag  #donate_hope

RESULTS

6.30pm: Handicap (rated 95-108) US$125,000 2000m (Dirt).
Winner: Don’t Give Up, Gerald Mosse (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).

7.05pm: Handicap (95 ) $160,000 2810m (Turf).
Winner: Los Barbados, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.

7.40pm: Handicap (80-89) $60,000 1600m (D).
Winner: Claim The Roses, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8.15pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (Div-1) Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D)
Winner: Gold Town, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.

8.50pm: Cape Verdi Group 2 $200,000 1600m (T).
Winner: Promising Run, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.

9.25pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D).
Winner: El Chapo, Luke Morris, Fawzi Nass.

Meydan racecard:

6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 (PA) Group 1 | US$75,000 (Dirt) | 2,200 metres

7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas (TB) Listed | $250,000 (D) | 1,600m

7.40pm: Meydan Classic Trial (TB) Conditions | $100,000 (Turf) | 1,400m

8.15pm: Al Shindagha Sprint (TB) Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,200m

8.50pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (D) | 1,600m

9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,000m

10pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m

Dates for the diary

To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:

  • September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
  • October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
  • October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
  • November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
  • December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
  • February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

One-off T20 International: UAE v Australia

When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start

Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1

Tickets: Admission is free

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle

John%20Wick%3A%20Chapter%204
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chad%20Stahelski%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Keanu%20Reeves%2C%20Laurence%20Fishburne%2C%20George%20Georgiou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
While you're here

Michael Young: Where is Lebanon headed?

Kareem Shaheen: I owe everything to Beirut

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The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.  

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20JustClean%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20with%20offices%20in%20other%20GCC%20countries%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202016%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20160%2B%20with%2021%20nationalities%20in%20eight%20cities%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20online%20laundry%20and%20cleaning%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2430m%20from%20Kuwait-based%20Faith%20Capital%20Holding%20and%20Gulf%20Investment%20Corporation%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Name: Colm McLoughlin

Country: Galway, Ireland

Job: Executive vice chairman and chief executive of Dubai Duty Free

Favourite golf course: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club

Favourite part of Dubai: Palm Jumeirah

 

KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wes%20Ball%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Owen%20Teague%2C%20Freya%20Allen%2C%20Kevin%20Durand%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20M3%2C%208-core%20CPU%2C%20up%20to%2010-core%20CPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2013.6-inch%20Liquid%20Retina%2C%202560%20x%201664%2C%20224ppi%2C%20500%20nits%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20wide%20colour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F16%2F24GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201%2F2TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thunderbolt%203%2FUSB-4%20(2)%2C%203.5mm%20audio%2C%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206E%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2052.6Wh%20lithium-polymer%2C%20up%20to%2018%20hours%2C%20MagSafe%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECamera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201080p%20FaceTime%20HD%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Support%20for%20Apple%20ProRes%2C%20HDR%20with%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%20HDR10%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-speaker%20system%2C%20wide%20stereo%2C%20support%20for%20Dolby%20Atmos%2C%20Spatial%20Audio%20and%20dynamic%20head%20tracking%20(with%20AirPods)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Midnight%2C%20silver%2C%20space%20grey%2C%20starlight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MacBook%20Air%2C%2030W%2F35W%20dual-port%2F70w%20power%20adapter%2C%20USB-C-to-MagSafe%20cable%2C%202%20Apple%20stickers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh4%2C599%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
While you're here
Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

The six points:

1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences

2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation

3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it

4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow

5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided

6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before

While you're here
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Art