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 Fine
Arts Consultant Usha R. Bala Krishnan, 37, might love coffee. But dare
using the term "coffee-table book" for her latest tome, Jewels
of the Nizams (IBH), and the light in her eyes will darken a few shades.
"A coffee-table book might look attractive but usually has very little
to read," she says pointedly. "This book contains detailed research
into the history of these jewels, but as justice cannot be done to this
subject without illustrations it has many amazing pictures too."
Krishnan's perception of the niche that her books occupy is quite clear.
As is her passion for jewellery. What wasn't always clear though was whether
she would be allowed access to the private collections of maharajas, wealthy
families and collections abroad. In fact, she was initially interested
in archaeology but was daunted by the inadequate infrastructure in this
field in India and the hurdles it posed for women. Archaeology's loss
was jewellery's gain-Krishnan landed up doing a post-doctorate degree
in museum studies in New York, followed by a three-year stint at Brooklyn
Museum where she steered their Mughal jewellery project. She then returned
to India and travelled widely while working as a Sotheby consultant. "When
I felt that the nuggets of information I had collected were crying out
to be put together, I started on my first book, Dance of the Peacock:
Jewellery Traditions of India (1999), with Meera Sushil Kumar," she
says.
The second book came as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Stories about
the Hyderabad Nizams' jewels-reputedly the most extravagant collection
in the world-have long been part of Indian lore. So naturally Krishnan
jumped when asked to document a part of the collection. "We were
allowed four-five days to evaluate and take photographs of more than 325
pieces," she says. "Naturally our pace faltered sometimes, like
when the Jacob diamond emerged and we spent more than an hour mesmerised."
Krishnan's plans include further mesmerisation-this time while researching
regional variations of Indian jewellery.
-Natasha Israni
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CURRENT
ISSUE FEB 25, 2002
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