Samipya 2007 Vol 24 Ank 01 02

Author(s): R P Mehta, R T Savalia
Publisher: Bholabhai Jeshingbhai Adhyayan Sanshodhan Vidyabhavan

Page 27

Step Wells in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and New Delhi*
Richard Cox R. T. Savalia*
[Richard Cox, a Visited January February 2007 for his project on stepwells, in Gujarat Rajasthan and New Delhi. This project is supervised by Dr. R.T. SAVALIA, Sr. Lecturer of Our institute. He has successfully guided thses research scholar. I please to present here the joint report of Mr. Rechard Cox and Dr. Savalia- Director). Introduction
Over the last 14 years I have been returning to India (7 times to dates) since first visiting in 1993 to set up the Wales/Rajasthan Exchange Programme for the Arts Council of Wales.
My experience of visiting this vast sub-continent, has increasingly found its way into the imagery of my work, especially certain aspects of traditional architecture. Indeed on my first visit to Rajasthan I was taken by Ram Avatar Soni to visit Abhaneri an impressive 10th century Tank (Kund) 130 km. from Jaipur. The transparencies I took at that time, and in 1997 on a second visit, have fromed the start of a series on which I am currently working. This series also includes the Stone Observtories which will be referred to later. It was to exhibit some of this work and to research further aspects that I organised a two-month's travelling and working visit to India in 2007. India : Aims and Objectives
Over a two month's visit I pursued three related projects :
Traveling in Rajasthan, M. Pradesh and Gujarat, I visiteid 55 step Well sites, (Baoris, Vāvs) and Tanks (Kunds) photo documenting them for publication and exhibition in 2008. This involved car and driver hire for travelling over 3000 k.m.
On my return to the UK in March, I spent a further weeks developing the images produced in India. These comporised over 700 digital phtographs and 450 on traditional slide film.
The main reason for the documentation was to see a board cross section of the different kinds of Step wells, and Tanks, however, in addition to these, I also visited
+
Sr. Lecturer, Art and Design, Gallery, wales (U.K.) & Director, University of wales Institute, Cardift (UWIC) Sr. Lecturer, B. J. Institute of Learning & Research, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad & Prof. Incharge, Dept. of Indian Culture, P.G. & Ph.D. Centre, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad-380009 Joint Report : (Financially supported by the Arts Council of Wales and Wales Art International with the collaboration of Cardiff School of Art & Design, UWIC, through their)
RuH 4: 4. 27, wis 9-2, 14-21., 2009
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