“Domains of Wonder: Selected Masterworks of Indian Painting,” an exhibition featuring fourteenth-century paintings of Jain saints, illustrated religious manuscripts, fine works from Chola (Tanjore, Tamil Nadu) and Mughal period (especially during the early days of Akbar), at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University served as the wonderful backdrop for the first-ever joint meeting of Georgia Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage (GAPI), Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (GIACC), and Indian Professionals Network (IPN). The event was held on Friday, March 9, 2007 at the main auditorium in Carlos Museum.

“When I was an intern at the San Diego Museum of Art,” said Ms. Bonnie Speed, the Director of Carlos Museum at Emory, “I met a gentleman… he was dressed in all-leather suit…whom I later found out to be the heir of the Crayola Crayons, and he had assembled the largest private collection of Indian paintings, and he donated them to the San Diego Museum of Art. When I heard that this collection will be on a tour, the first time ever, I immediately jumped on this opportunity.” The ‘details within details’ in these paintings are truly amazing, with artists using a single hair of a baby squirrel as the paint brush to render them! Magnifying glasses were available at the Museum gallery to truly appreciate the intricate details. Since a typical painting is done by many artists, each specializing on different aspects such as a human face or a plant or the border, these works are not ‘signed’ by any artist. They are typically ‘commissioned’ by the patron, such as Emperor Akbar, and they are attributed to the ‘workshop’ where these artists devoted their lives to painting and learning.

Following the welcome speech by the Museum director and the presidents of the three organizations, the invited speakers Dr. Mahendra Shah and Mr. D.J. Jeyaram, Esq. made brief remarks about Bipolar disorders and HIPAA regulations, respectively. Mr. Rohit Malhotra, a student at UGA gave a compelling presentation about the student-run non-profit organization called Footsteps (www.makingfootsteps.org), that is planning major events across leading college campuses to spread awareness and raise funds to eliminate poverty and hunger around the globe. The Domains exhibit was open during the entire event. The dinner was catered by Bhojanic, the fine fusion restaurant in Emory area.

The joint event was the brainchild of Dr. Shailesh Gandhi, the president of GAPI. It was organized by Dr. Narsi Narasimhan, the president-elect of GIACC and the founder of IPN. The attendees included the distinguished economist Dr. Donald Ratajczak, the Director of Asian Studies at Emory Dr. Deepika Bahri, and several distinguished professionals, both from mainstream community and the Indian American community in Metro Atlanta and the rest of the state. The event was sponsored in part by Astra Zeneca, Paalam and American Airlines.

Emory University is fast becoming a leading center for Asian Studies. Salman Rushdie is currently at Emory as a Distinguished Writer in Residence. He recently gave the annual Sheth Lecture titled, “The Composite Artist,” analyzing several paintings from the Domains exhibit. South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) recently had its panel presentation at Emory, moderated by Sree Sreenivasan of Columbia University. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is named as a distinguished professor as well. He will visit Emory in late October to deliver a lecture and take part in a conference on science and spirituality. For more information, please visit www.gapi.org or www.giacc.org or contact narsi@paalam.com