With so much turmoil in the world, we need art ever more for its life-affirming and enriching effects. We are fortunate to be surrounded by so much South Asian art in San Diego, a fact little known to most people in our community. I joined the SAAC because of its mission to increase awareness and appreciation of the rich and diverse arts of the Indian subcontinent.
Ravi
Ravinder Reddy, MD, is a psychiatrist, author and teacher. He has been deeply interested in many aspects of Indian art, and is the coordinator the Study Group.
Over the course of four decades, his focus has included Kushan numismatics, medieval sculpture focusing on Shiva iconography, and early maps depicting the Indian subcontinent. Currently, his focus is arms and armour of the region, with an emphasis on South India.
For him, Indic arms and armour reflect a unique convergence of the martial culture, the high arts, history, and technical mastery of metal work. His book on this topic was published in November 2018: Arms & Armour of India, Nepal and Sri Lanka: Types, Decoration & Symbolism.