South Asian Arts Council Gives Indian Art "A New Life"

SAAC (South Asian Arts Council) board member Ravinder Reddy says his virtual study groups are educational — just not in the traditional sense.

“We’re not discussing  art the way [one does] in college or an AP course, but teaching art so that when you go to a museum, you have the broader context of how the art fits in with the larger scheme of Indian art,” he explains. “You have enough knowledge to appreciate what you’re looking at.”

Reddy began hosting his study groups two years ago as an effort to bring Indian art to a broader Western audience.  A psychiatrist, he owes his fascination with Indian art to the culture he left behind when he moved to the United States.

“Growing up, my parents used to take me to temples and I wasn’t interested at all at that that age,” Reddy says. “Most of what I know now about India is after I moved to America.”

Beyond his involvement in the South Asian Cultural Arts Council, Reddy is also the author of Arms & Armour of India, Nepal and Sri Lanka: Types, Decoration & Symbolism, where he explores the history behind ancient Indian weaponry. He joined this United States-based nonprofit years ago to “increase awareness and appreciation of the rich and diverse arts of the Indian subcontinent.” As a board member, he is one of the many South Asians who volunteer their time by offering lectures, travel programs, and exhibitions to the Western world.

These monthly meetings were originally held at the San Diego Museum of Art, home to more than 1,400 art pieces originally from South Asia. From there began a journey of appreciation, inspection, and analysis of Indian art, from iconography and symbolism to ancient paintings. After gaining traction on Facebook and other social media platforms, Reddy turned his monthly sessions into bi-weekly meetings. Today, his turned-virtual study group has a following from art-lovers across the globe.

“We’re taking art out of the context of an enclosed culture,” says Reddy. “Or just a museum. Or just people in the know.”

Although Reddy was thrilled by the newfound diversity in his audience, the study group’s increasing popularity bought its own set of challenges as well. For one, there was a noticeable difference between the audience members’ understanding of Indian culture itself. As a presenter, Reddy originally found it difficult to breach this cultural gap while discussing art at a comfortable pace.

“We have people who are from India, either first or second-generation immigrants. We have people who have visited India multiple times,” Reddy says. “But then on the other hand, you have people who find it difficult to identify India on a map who are just interested in the colors and the stories and the exoticisms.”

To navigate these differences, Reddy keeps his curriculum simple. He opens every session with a review of material he covered previously and provides necessary explanations for niche religious or mythological phenomena. Every member of the study group also receives supplementary study materials which provide the broader context of the art he covers.

“If you have an audience that is not shy about asking questions, that’s a huge advantage,” Reddy says.

The coronavirus pandemic has penetrated nearly every sphere of public life. Reddy’s study groups were no exception. Unsure of how to safely continue these workshops, the SAAC originally cancelled one week of the study groups. Then, the rest of the world slowly began to go virtual, and Reddy followed suit. These study groups were given a new life through bi-weekly Zoom meetings. Although the shift was unprecedented for Reddy, who was accustomed to leading his small group through the rooms of the San Diego Museum of Art, he appreciates the merits of a virtual format.

“The huge advantage people are finding is that people don’t have to leave their houses,” Reddy says, laughing. “They don’t have to get into their cars and find parking, which is a nightmare, if you know anything about San Diego. They don’t have to dress up at all.”

But the benefits of Zoom go beyond merely convenience. Reddy forged new connections with his audience after the pandemic struck — connections that were not possible with his previous study groups.

“We now get people who are not local,” Reddy says. “I mean, you and I would not be having this conversation if this was not a purely local activity. You live in Pleasanton, but you still had a chance to watch our video. Without that, you would have had to drive all the way to San Diego.”

Before closing off our meeting, Reddy holds an artifact of his own up to the Zoom camera. It’s an ancient, authentic dagger from Karnataka, its blade flanked by a handle in the shape of a baby Krishna. Although Reddy confirms that the dagger is real, he says his interest in this weapon is purely artistic.

“It’s an honest-to-goodness dagger. But the question is, what’s Krishna doing on the back of this dagger?” Reddy says, and laughs. “Do you see this two-headed bird right here?” he asks, pointing to the sculpted feathers emerging behind the Krishna. “It’s Karnataka’s state emblem. It’s called the Gandaberunda…and what context can this be used in? Well, today it’s used in a particular kind of dance in Karnataka. To me, the blade is nice. But it’s the handle where the story lies.”

It’s heartening to watch the SAAC study groups grow and attract different members of the American demography. It’s a reminder that South Asian tradition and heritage is just as important and celebrated as its Western counterpart. Reddy’s study groups have faced countless setbacks, from cultural contrasts to a global pandemic. But his leadership is a reminder that ancient art can survive — and even thrive — in an increasingly digitized culture.

“It’s giving art,” Reddy says, “especially ancient art, a new life.”