Topic: Personalities

Amrita Sher-Gil’s ‘The Story Teller’ becomes the most expensive Indian artwork to be auctioned

An auction on September 16, 2023 held at The Oberoi, New Delhi, created a new record for Indian contemporary art. An Amrita Sher-Gil painting titled The Story Teller, signed and dated 1937, fetched a staggering ₹61.8 crore, becoming the most expensive painting by an Indian artist, to be sold in an auction, ever. It surpassed Sayed Haider Raza’s Gestation, which was sold for ₹51.75 crore, merely ten days earlier.

KnowALLedge Plus:

Amrita Sher-Gil is perhaps the most renowned female artist from India. Here are three stories from her short-lived life:

>Early Life and Background: Amrita Sher-Gil was born on January 30, 1913, in Budapest, Hungary. She was the elder of two daughters of a Hungarian mother, Marie Antoniette Gottesmann, and a Sikh father, Umrao Singh Sher-Gil.

>Artistic Training: Sher-Gil’s family moved to India when she was a child, and she began her formal art education in Shimla and later in Lahore. At 16, she entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where she was influenced by the work of Paul Cézanne, Amedeo Modigliani, and Paul Gauguin.

>Tragic Death: Amrita Sher-Gil’s life was tragically cut short when she passed away at the young age of 28 in 1941. Her legacy continues to thrive, and her works are highly sought after by collectors and art enthusiasts around the world. In 1976, the Indian government declared her works to be national treasures, recognizing their cultural significance.

 

Thiruvalluvar’s statue made with Tamil letters installed in Coimbatore

As part of enhancing tourism near the Kurichikulam lakefront under the Smart City Mission, the Coimbatore Corporation has installed a steel statue of the celebrated Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar.

The sculpture is designed in a sitting posture and with linguistic characters. The 1,330 letters of the Tamil language that adorn the statue are meant to denote the 1,330 Kurals (couplets) written by the poet.

KnowALLedge Plus:

Thiruvalluvar is best known as the author of Tirukkuraḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economic affairs. One of his more famous statues can be seen at Kanyakumari.

Diljit Dosanjh becomes first Punjabi artiste to perform at Coachella

In 2023, Diljit Dosanjh became the first Punjabi artiste to perform at Coachella, alongside headliners Blackpink, Bjork and Ali Sethi. He got the crowd on their feet as he performed to his hits Clash and Lemonade among others.

In one of the videos gone viral, the singer says, “It is really hot in Coachella. Is it the heat or it’s because of the Punjabis here?”, inviting a thunderous applause from the audience. He added his patent, “Punjabi aa gaye Coachella oye!”

Fans were also in awe of his humbleness when he spoke to the security present at the venue and apologised on behalf of his fans, who were elated with his music. He said to the security present there, “Security paaji sorry. They are very excited basically, they are good people. First time Dosanjhwala on stage at Coachella that’s why they are excited. So please, I am sorry on behalf of them. Thank you”.

KnowALLedge Plus

Coachella is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert.

Rinku Singh hits 5 sixes in an over to create history

KKR’s Rinku Singh shot to instant stardom as he smashed 5 sixes in the final over to successfully chase down 29 runs against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Former and current Indian cricketers took to social media to praise his performance, with India captain Rohit Sharma calling it an “unbelievable innings”.

KnowALLedge Plus

The little-known batter from the north Indian city of Aligarh was born into a low-income family and grew up helping his father transport gas cylinders on a motorbike.

He was picked up by film star Shah Rukh Khan’s KKR in a player draft for INR 800,000 in 2018 and has been earning a steady income which he says has helped uplift his family.