Dior 2021’s Byculla roots
The Hindu
How the luxury brand’s recent Autumn Winter 2021-22 show in Paris celebrated fairy tales, French couture, and Indian craftsmanship
It has been over two decades since Dior’s artistic director, Maria Grazia Chiuri (who helmed Fendi back then), and the Chanakya family started their creative collaboration. Karishma Swali — creative director of the Mumbai-based embroidery export house — first met Chiuri in Italy in 1995, and their mutual love of craft led to a strong artistic association that has only grown stronger over the years. “Maria is an exceptional visionary who has stood out as a true champion of master crafts across the world,” says Monica Shah, Swali’s sister-in-law and co-founder of the Chanakya Atelier and the Chanakya School of Craft in Byculla (which provides women from low-income groups with the skills needed to become artisans). Their most recent collab: the Dior Couture Autumn Winter 2021-22 show four days ago.
In October this year, India announced its intention to build Maitri II, the country’s newest research station in Antarctica and India’s fourth, about 40 forty-odd years after the first permanent research station in Antarctica, Dakshin Gangotri, was established. The Hindu talks to Dr Harsh K Gupta, who led the team that established it

How do you create a Christmas tree with crochet? Take notes from crochet artist Sheena Pereira, who co-founded Goa-based Crochet Collective with crocheter Sharmila Majumdar in 2025. Their artwork takes centre stage at the Where We Gather exhibit, which is part of Festivals of Goa, an ongoing exhibition hosted by the Museum of Goa. The collective’s multi-hued, 18-foot crochet Christmas tree has been put together by 25 women from across the State. “I’ve always thought of doing an installation with crochet. So, we thought of doing something throughout the year that would culminate at the year end; something that would resonate with Christmas message — peace, hope, joy, love,” explains Sheena.

Max Born made many contributions to quantum theory. This said, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 1954 for establishing the statistical interpretation of the ____________. Fill in the blank with the name of an object central to quantum theory but whose exact nature is still not fully understood.










