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The Communiqué News

Nita Ambani Brings Proud for India: MET, USA is About to Witness Indian History Like Never Before!

  • 3 min read

The exhibition 'Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India, 200 BCE-400 CE,' supported by the chairperson of the Reliance Foundation and the creator of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, will be on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET) beginning from July 21, 2023, till November 13, 2023.


Swati Bhat

Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India, 200 BCE-400 CE

MET official


A special preview of 'Tree & Serpent...' was just organised at The Met. It was attended by Nita Ambani and hosted by Max Hollein, the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Marina Kellen French, a connoisseur, and supporter of art in the United States and abroad. The event also drew distinguished guests from the art world and beyond, including Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the Indian Ambassador to the United States, Eric Garcetti, the US Ambassador to India, and John Guy, the Florence and Herbert Irving Curator of South and Southeast Asian and curator of Tree & Serpent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Reliance Foundation and Nita Ambani-backed exhibition 'Tree & Serpent...' brings over 125 artifacts spanning from 200 BCE to 400 CE to The Met. Nita Ambani's communiqué on Art and Event, "I am from India, the land of the Buddha, and it is a great honor for me to support 'Tree & Serpent' through the Reliance Foundation's collaboration with The Met." With approximately 125 pieces from ancient India, this historic exhibition recounts the origins of early Buddhist art from the 2nd century BC to the 4th century AD. We are extremely proud of the 'Tree & Serpent,' which demonstrates the deep relationship between Buddhism and India. Buddha's teachings are intertwined with Indian ethos and continue to affect global ideas. I hope visitors from all over the world come to enjoy this one-of-a-kind event. We remain dedicated to presenting the best of India to the rest of the world, and the best of the rest of the world to India."

"Buddhism inspired an extraordinarily innovative and beautiful flowering of art in ancient India," remarked Max Hollein, Marina Kellen French Director of The Met. It is a fantastic honor to present this spectacular show to our global audience, as well as to introduce fresh discoveries from this key period in art history. We would like to thank the Government of India and the six state governments in India, as well as institutions in Europe and the United States, for their generous lending to this groundbreaking exhibition."

"This exhibition presents the story of the origins of Buddhist art through the lens of newly discovered masterpieces from early India," said John Guy, Florence and Herbert Irving Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art at The Met. It depicts the origins of Buddhist art in southern India and situates it within a larger landscape of early Buddhist devotional practice centered on the Buddha and his relics. Buddhist monasteries were places for meditation but also for loud feasts, the air thick with the aroma of new flowers and perfumes. The role of beautiful stories that found expression in the art embellishing the stupa, as well as the lived traditions of early Buddhism, are foregrounded here. This is an exhibition that, like Buddhist prayer, embraces the senses."


Look out for more Art on display:








TMC & IN have Signed an MoU to Revive The "Ancient Stitched Shipbuilding Method" (Tankai Method)

  • 2 min read

Remarkable attempts by the Ministry of Culture and the Indian Navy to resurrect a 2000-year-old shipbuilding technology.


19 July 2023: The Ministry of Culture and the Indian Navy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to resuscitate and maintain the 2000-year-old stitched shipbuilding method' of shipbuilding.

The MoU signing ceremony on July 18, 2023, was graced by the presence of distinguished individuals such as Shri Govind Mohan, Secretary, Ministry of Culture; Smt. Uma Nanduri, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture; Smt. Priyanka Chandra, Director (AKAM), Ministry of Culture; Rear Admiral Shri K.S. Srinivas; and Commodore Shri Sujeet Bakshi, Commander Shri Sandeep Roy from the Indian Navy.

The Indian Navy will oversee the project's implementation and execution. The Indian Navy's cooperation assures flawless project management and adherence to the highest standards of safety and precision as stewards of maritime security and specialists in the sector. Their tremendous experience and technical knowledge will be critical to the successful restoration of the traditional stitching technology and the building of the stitched ship.

Given its historical significance and the preservation of traditional workmanship, the stitched ship has tremendous cultural value in India. India has a long nautical history, and embroidered ships have played an important role in trade, cultural exchange, and exploration. These ships, built by stitching together wooden planks rather than nails, provided flexibility and durability, making them less vulnerable to damage from shoals and sandbars. Despite the entrance of European ships, the practice of stitching ships has survived in a few coastal districts of India, primarily for small local fishing boats.

It is critical to resurrect and revitalise this vanishing art form in order to secure the preservation of its cultural legacy for future generations. The ambition to build an ocean-going wooden stitched sailship employing the old Indian craft of stitching is admirable. The project intends to capitalise on the skills of India's last traditional shipwrights and highlight their remarkable craftsmanship. By sailing along ancient maritime channels using traditional navigating procedures, the study hopes to acquire insight into the historical contacts that permitted the spread of Indian culture, knowledge systems, traditions, technologies, and ideas across the Indian Ocean.

The importance of the interwoven ship project goes beyond its physical structure. It aspires to rekindle marine memories and foster pride in India's rich maritime legacy in its population. It also seeks to promote cultural memories among Indian Ocean littoral countries. A thorough project documenting and cataloging will guarantee that useful information is saved for future reference. This project is not just a one-of-a-kind boat-building endeavor, but it also honors India's vast cultural heritage and historic seafaring traditions.




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