After years of searching through dusty museum collections and royal stores across India, acclaimed designer Ritu Kumar has uncovered many of the last surviving examples of traditional royal clothing. Her book is a celebration of this rich legacy of textiles and craftsmanship. This in-depth study of the evolution of Indian royal costume spans the centuries from the first representations of clothing in ancient India, through the reign of the Mughal emperors and the days of the British Raj, to Indian independence and royalty in the present day. The author covers both men's and women's garments, Hindu and Muslim styles, and documents the evolution of European-Indian fashions. This sumptuous volume is illustrated with a variety of material, much of which has never been published before ranging from archive photographs, miniatures, royal portraits and cinema stills, to detailed images of garments and textiles from as far back as the seventeenth century. A separate section explains in detail the techniques behind the traditional crafts of weaving, dyeing, printing and embroidery, with sketches and patterns illustrating a variety of garments. Specially commissioned photographs of members of royalty wearing their traditional clothes emphasise the colour, shape, ornament and texture of these stunning costumes. This royal family album is supplemented by stories of royal India told to the author by the last Rajmatas who still remember the splendours of courtly life. AUTHOR: Ritu Kumar is one of India's foremost designers, who has developed a unique style combining the ancient traditions of Indian craftsmanship with contemporary innovations. She began her work many years ago in a small village near Calcutta with just four hand-block printers and a couple of tables. 360 colour & 100 b/w illustrations

An in-depth survey of Indian palaces. It contains photographs to display the beauty and atmosphere of these buildings, and George Michell evokes life within the palaces and describes their many elements: halls, courtyards, temples, mosques, private apartments and service quarters.

Provides information about ingredients, seasonings, utensils, and techniques used in Indian cooking, and shares recipes for appetizers, main dishes, vegetables, beans, rice, breads, salads, chutneys, and desserts

About the Book THE BUSINESS HISTORY OF THE CULT BRAND CALLED ROYAL ENFIELD, Royal Enfield. More than just the brand name of a legendary bike! Few brands inspire the kind of devotion that an Enfield does. Its distinctive look and feel, the sound of its engine and the image that it creates of its rider have all contributed to putting the brand on the kind of pedestal that others could only dream of. From the beginning of the brand’s journey in India in the early 1950s, the Enfield bikes have had quite a ride. Initial success and acceptance notwithstanding, by the 1980s, the brand was considered an underachiever and a basket case. Enter Vikram Lal of Eicher in 1990. Lal’s enthusiasm for the brand gave it a new lease of life. Later, his son Siddhartha’s time at the helm saw marketing, product and vision all come together to catapult the bike to iconic status. In the past few years, Enfield has come to represent successful business turnarounds even as its bikes have found newer and newer converts. Indian Icon: A Cult Called Royal Enfield by former Mint journalist Amrit Raj maps the trail-blazing story of the brand, the company and, most of all, the individuals who have made it what it is. It is also the story of the clash of the old guard with the new leading to dramatic changes in the business. In a first, the book bares the behind-the-scenes takeover dramas and the bare-knuckled battle to create a premium homegrown consumer brand for the global markets. Extensively researched and expertly narrated, the book takes you to the heart of the Royal Enfield story. A worthy addition to the shelf of both business readers as well as Royal Enfield aficionados.

Written by a Newbery Honor-winning author, this is the story of a princess who longs for freedom. Jahanara is the daughter of a rich emperor in India. While she is showered with many riches, she is also confined by her strict religion and the rules of the palace.

The word 'maharaja' - literally 'great king' - conjures up a vision of splendour and magnificence. This book examines the real and perceived worlds of the maharaja from the early eighteenth century to 1947, when the Indian Princes ceded their territories into the modern states of India and Pakistan.

No detailed description available for "The Ancient Indian Royal Consecration".

This book presents a comprehensive history of the Royal Indian Navy (RIN). It traces the origins of the RIN to the East India Company, as early as 1612, and untangles the institution’s complex history. Capturing various transitional phases of the RIN, especially during the crucial period of 1920–1950, it concludes with the final transfer of the RIN from under the British Raj to independent India. Drawn from a host of primary sources—personal diaries and logs, official reports and documents—the author presents a previously unexplored history of colonial and imperial defence policy, and the contribution of the RIN during the World Wars. This book explores several aspects in RIN’s history such as its involvement in the First World War; its status in policies of the British Raj; the martial race theory in the RIN; and the development of the RIN from a non-combat force to a full-fledged combat defence force during the Second World War. It also studies the hitherto unexplored causes, nature and impact of the 1946 RIN Revolt on the eve of India’s independence from a fresh perspective. An important intervention in the study of military and defence history, this will be an essential read for students, researchers, defence personnel, military academy cadets, as well as general readers.