I met His Highness Arvind Singh Mewar of Udaipur at Pebble Beach, when he showed his wonderful, bright blue 1924 Rolls-Royce GLK-21, 20 HP Barker Tourer who finally won the Lucius Beebe Trophy. This was the first ever Pebble Beach trophy for an Indian entry,” says Claus Mueller - collector, racer and Managing Director of the Munich Café Racers.
It was great pleasure to visit Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar in his home, the City Palace of Udaipur, during the Holika Dahan festival, this year. What an incredible experience! Beside participating on both the traditional performances and the Holika Dahan ceremony as well as exploring the City Palace Museum, I visited the Royal Vintage and Classic Car Collection.
Two different personalities, miles apart, chasing a common passion
This is not a usual car museum. It is way beyond! All 20 classics which on display are cars of the royal family. They were used on a regular basis when new and found their place in the VCCC once retired. Many, if not most of them, are still in first hand. That makes them not only vintage cars, but pieces of history and tradition of the Mewar dynasty, to be cherished for years to come.
I was deeply impressed by the original and unrestored appearance of some of the cars. My personal favorite of the survivors is the 1930 Rolls-Royce Tourer GNS II 20/25 HP which was converted into a ‘safari car’ back in the days. The front fenders tell their own stories and I hope that nobody ever thinks of restoring her. It’s a delight to realize that all cars are in working condition and they are still used occasionally. I saw for myself, one of the huge 1938/39 Cadillacs being in charge during the Holika Dahan ceremony!
The carefully restored cars are pieces of beauty and works of art by themselves. Especially if they are not overrestored. A wonderful example is GLK-21, the Pebble Beach trophy winner. As I learned from the book ‘The Royal Udaipur RR GLK 21 Classic drive from Derby to Udaipur to Pebble Beach and Continues’ (which I can recommend not only because of the amazing history of the objective car but because it clearly shows what it takes to restore a vintage car!) the poor car sat in a corner of the City Palace for decades after being cannibalized for spare parts until the Maharana decided to restore her to former pride. So finally the old lady got back her original blue color and today she with no doubt is the Queen of the collection. What a great story! Its heartwarming to see my passion for classic cars being shared by the Maharana of Mewar!
Is this all for real?
VCCC is a live and standing example of how the buildings are built for their particular purpose. Back then all cars in Udaipur belonged to the royal family. So there is no question that the former Mewar State Motor Garage has its own pump station with the original Burma Shell pumps, one of which is still usable. What is a restaurant today used to be the workshop and the building of the HRH Garden Hotel served a living quarters for mechanics and drivers. I mean, this is a real ‘dream garage’ for me!
Let me take this chance to recommend the Royal Vintage and Classic Car Collection to every car guy visiting Udaipur – and to all other visitors, too.
Keeping true to its vision and core values which are ‘service to society’ & ‘preservation and promotion of the culture and heritage of Mewar, MMCF initiated Rang - an Art & Craft association inspired by the colorful hues of Mewar and Holi in the year 2007.
The attempt was to identify, trace, promote and nurture the talent of artists and craftsmen, who have been in their respective trades since generations and may have been the last examples of impeccable craftsmanship, however were lacking innovation and presentation of their art form in vision of contemporary society.
Rang 2013 is another effort taking from our vision for Culture and Heritage promotion. This year we invite various artists practicing art forms like Terracotta from Molela, Mirror or Theekri work, Miniature painting and Phad painting.
Aditi Babel, a book artist and a graphic designer from the city of Udaipur will be working together with these artists and craftsmen to create contemporary art forms. We hope to achieve our goal by creating art forms which will enhance the process for the artists and craftsmen as well as help them to cater to the contemporary world.
Meet few of the artists and their art forms:
Aditi Babel
A book artist and a graphic designer from the city of Udaipur will be working together with artists and craftsmen to create contemporary art forms. Rang 2013 is an effort to create art forms which will enhance the process for the artists and craftsmen as well as help them to cater to the contemporary world.
Jamnalal Kumbhar
Showcasing Molela Terracotta Art Form
Lively folk beliefs and faith of the rural population are modeled into iconic images of folk heroes and deities out of earthen clay by the imagination and artistic skills of the potters of Molela, a tiny village near Nathdwara. The specialty of these baked artefacts lies in the fact that they are crafted by bare hands without the help of any mould or dye. Most of these deities have heroic deeds and ballads attached to them. Traditionally, the priests called bhopas, who bought the images of the folk deities then established those and devras, the living abodes of the local folk gods and goddesses.
The Artist: born in 1968, is a traditional potter from his village of Molela. He exclusively produces clay and terracotta plaques.
Nilesh Sharma,
Showcasing Mewar School Of Art
Paintings of the Mewar School of Art served mainly as a pictorial record of the events and
activities that dominated the life in The Palace. The paintings documented the public duties including festivals and processions and private pastimes of the Maharanas of Mewar. The artists excelled in careful delineation, shift of scale and fusion of multiple viewpoints which allowed them to further capture the fairy tale grandeur of the court life and the exuberance of the Palace architecture. The landscape of Mewar along with the splendid palaces and lakes form as much a part of the artist's subject matter as the events he strived to depict.
The Artist: born in1983, hails from a family of traditional miniature painters from Udaipur. He has now diversified into doing pichhwais, glass inlay work and gold leaf work on marble and cloth.
Krishnakant Sharm
A Thikri artist which is basically a mirror art.
Krishnakant Sharma inherited the craft from his father and grandfather. His father being a veteran in thikri work has been practicing this craft since last 35 years and has also received as award for the exceptional work done in Devigarh Palace Hotel.
Colour; the touch of the eye, music to the deaf, a word in the darkness...
Holi, the Festival of Colours, exudes the season of love celebrated with colour and vibrancy. Paintings and scriptures depict the roots of this festival since ancient times. What better way to celebrate than indulging in the visual delights of colours splashed on a canvas to create a wonderful lasting image.
In keeping with the timeless tradition we have Art Conexion from Mumbai showcasing a vast range of paintings to the discerning audience. These painting embody the spirit of the festival in the true sense. The carefully compiled art works enhance the festive occasion of colours. The artists express their joyous emotions on the canvas, which in turn reflects the warmth and exuberance.
While Ratnadeep Adivrekar’s works have an idiom that is trivial and messages, which are obvious but more often ambivalent, engaging viewer in exploitation of pictorial space; Madhavi Gangan’s colourful abstract works depict the true nature of the festival.
The art work by Shamendu Sonawane takes one to a pristine white beach with pebbles spread on the sand ca
Keeping true to its vision and core values which are ‘service to society’ & ‘preservation and promotion of the culture and heritage of Mewar, MMCF initiated Rang - an Art & Craft association inspired by the colorful hues of Mewar and Holi in the year 2007.
The attempt was to identify, trace, promote and nurture the talent of artists and craftsmen, who have been in their respective trades since generations and may have been the last examples of impeccable craftsmanship, however were lacking innovation and presentation of their art form in vision of contemporary society.
Rang 2013 is another effort taking from our vision for Culture and Heritage promotion. This year we invite various artists practicing art forms like Terracotta from Molela, Mirror or Theekri work, Miniature painting and Phad painting.
Aditi Babel, a book artist and a graphic designer from the city of Udaipur will be working together with these artists and craftsmen to create contemporary art forms. We hope to achieve our goal by creating art forms which will enhance the process for the artists and craftsmen as well as help them to cater to the contemporary world.
Dahan Ceremony, 7th March 2012 at The City Palace Complex, Udaipur on 7th February 2012
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