Sunderbans – Wild Water Adeventure

28/12/2018 0 Comments read Travel

By Neena Bhandari

Gothkali (West Bengal, India), 28.12.2018 (The Weekend, Khaleej Times): Three cubs frolicking around a tigress sprawled under the shade of a Sal (Shorea robusta) tree is one of the many enduring images I have of tigers in the wild. Encounters with big cats are not uncommon in India’s 50 tiger reserves, but in the mangrove forests of the Sunderbans, this shy predator remains elusive.

A common refrain from visitors to the 2,585 square kilometre Sunderban Tiger Reserve, comprising the world’s largest delta formed by the confluence of three rivers – the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna – flowing into the Bay of Bengal, is that sighting a Royal Bengal Tiger is near impossible.

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Curiouser and curiouser – beasts of the South Australian Museum all the way from the U.K

22/06/2016 0 Comments read Travel

By Neena Bhandari

When British Museum’s Alison E. Wright opened a box of 16^th century Dutch and Flemish prints, she was amazed to discover Dutch Baroque era engraver, Jan Saenredam’s magnificent engraving of a beached sperm whale from 1602. It was many years ago, but it had sparked in her the idea of curating the Curious Beasts: animal prints from Dürer to Goya exhibition.

“Saenredam’s whale is now at the heart of the Curious Beasts. The remarkably accurate representation of this mysterious giant is bordered by an equally remarkable frame that gives us broader insight into the ways people thought about whales: images of eclipses, earthquake and plague tie into the idea that the monstrous sea creature dying on land was a bad omen. The whale is surrounded by a crowd of sightseers, testifying to the intense curiosity about strange and rare creatures in this period”, says Wright, who has enjoyed showing it to new audiences.

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David Roche Foundation House Museum opens on June 3

18/04/2016 0 Comments read Travel

By Neena Bhandari

Fermoy House, the residence of art aficionado, David Roche will open its doors to visitors this June to enjoy, marvel and learn from the over 3000 artefacts the owner collected from around the world and Australia.

The David Roche Foundation House Museum, which includes Fermoy House and a new adjoining neoclassical building, will display his entire collection spanning from 1690 to 1960s.

`Living well is the best revenge’ was Roche’s refrain. He amassed a vast reservoir of furniture, porcelain, metalware, ceramics, clocks, paintings and textiles from renowned creators and many with a connection to royalty or aristocracy such as France’s Napoleon Bonaparte and Russia’s Catherine the Great.

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