Courses
Enlighten Yourself!
Building Memory Through Landscape & Architecture
What is so unique about the landscape, culture and architecture of the Himalaya? How does the built space interact with everything else? How do landscape and architecture trigger memories and connect us to the distant past?
Fragile Frontiers: Understanding Crisis, Conservation, and the Anthropocene in the Western Himalaya
What drives environmental change in the Western Himalaya and its link to the Anthropocene? How do urbanization, tourism, and resource use affect the Western Himalaya’ ecosystems? What challenges do local communities face in the Western Himalaya due to the Anthropocene, and how can they be addressed?
Adornment Narratives: Decoding Symbolism, Exploring Beauty and Expression in Himalayan Jewelry
What traditional jewelry types hold cultural meanings in the Western and Central Himalaya? How did adornment evolve in the Himalaya, and how has it been influenced by various factors? How does sketching jewelry enhance appreciation and understanding of Himalayan adornment?
Mountains, Media, Materiality: The Lived and Imagined Cultures of the Western Himalaya
Why do mountains matter? How do mountains matter? Why and how do dwellers, travellers, writers and artistes of different kinds come to express their understanding of highlands through particular expressions of style and content? What ideas of landscape, aesthetics, connectedness and culture do these understandings convey?
Sacred Secrets: Unveiling Tantra In the Western Himalaya
What is Tantra? Why is it so misconstrued? How does one understand Tantra in its Himalayan setting? What are the mysterious practices relating to the Tantric sects?