Decolonising the Walls

ART START-UP MAAZI MERCHANT IS ON A MISSION TO BRING INDIA'S FORGOTTEN ART BACK HOME

- ARNAV DAS SHARMA

In a studio filled with the hum of printers and the scent of archival paper, Parakram Kakkar (pictured) examines Three Princesses from Mysore, a portrait by Thomas Hickey, which marks a colonial turning point. After Tipu Sultan's defeat, the East India Company introduced the smallpox vaccine to secure its rule. Queen Lakshmi Ammani, widowed by the disease, ensured vaccination for princesses. By 1807, over a million Indians had been inoculated, with the portrait symbolising British use of art to shape India's image.

Such paintings, housed in museums abroad like London's National Portrait Gallery, remain largely inaccessible to Indians. Kakkar's Maazi Merchant, launched in early 2023, aims to change that. The company's stated aim is housed in the name itself: 'Maazi' is an Urdu word that means the past, or history.

And it wants to make this 'past' accessible. How? By making high-quality prints of these Indian artworks-Mughal miniatures, East India Company paintings like Three Princesses, and engravings, among many others--and sell them here in India. And they are the first ones to do so.