V&A exhibition celebrates Mughal art and architecture’s timeless legacy
Rare manuscripts and masterpieces highlight Indian rulers' patronage of fine art
A
carpet displayed at the V&A; artefacts crafted from
mother of pearl, rock crystal, jade, and precious metals;
a model of Mumtaz Mahal’s cenotaph; bejewelled
daggers and a spoon; a painting of Akbar handing the
imperial crown to Shah Jahan in Jahangir’s presence;
another painting from the same era; Susan Stronge;
and a portrait of Shah Jahan holding an emerald by
Muhammad ‘Abed, with borders by Harif
By Amit RoyNov 16, 2024
OF COURSE, we Asians know all there is to know about Mughal history from two impeccable sources.
One is K Asif’s classic 1960 movie, Mughal-e-Azam, which stars Prithviraj Kapoor as the emperor Akbar, who forbids his son, Salim (Dilip Kumar) from pursuing his doomed love affair with a dancing girl, Anarkali (Madhubala).
And then those of us who are scholars of Mughal history have relied on the 2008 film, Jodhaa Akbar, in which the young Akbar romances a Rajput princess, Jodhaa Bai of Amber. They were played by Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, respectively.
And so we are well prepared for our trip to the V&A to see The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence. It’s so exquisite that I bought both the catalogue and the poster. The exhibition has been curated by Susan Stronge, senior curator in the V&A’s Asian department. One of the world’s leading experts on Mughal art, this is her swansong before she retires.
“This is the first exhibition to reveal the internationalist art and culture of the Mughal court,” she said. “Hindustani artists, Iranian masters and even a few Europeans came together in the imperial workshops to create a new, hybrid art. We are pleased to display some of their greatest creations, many of which have never been exhibited before.”
Somewhere in the exhibition are the words of the Sufi poet and scholar, Amir Khushrow (1253-1325): “If there is Paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this.”
If there is an artistic paradise in London, then this exhibition at the V&A is it. It also proves that the Mughals, their art, culture and civilisation have always been an integral part of India.
The exhibition has an evocative video of the magical Taj Mahal in Agra, along with marble work from the mausoleum. I have been there a few times, seen it at dawn, at noon and at night and especially remember the trip with Princess Diana (the poor girl called it a “healing experience”).
The decoration of the Taj Mahal introduced a style that profoundly influenced all the arts of Shah Jahan’s reign. Blossoming plants and flowers were carved in stone, woven and embroidered on textiles, painted in the borders of albums and enamelled in gold on objects made for the court. These stylised blossoms evoke an ideal world in which they would live forever, untouched by decay, disease, famine or poverty. They proclaim the empire as a garden of paradise under the emperor’s just rule. And it was this which made Khushrow utter his famous words.
The exhibition showcases more than 200 objects across three sections spanning the reigns of Emperors Akbar (1556- 1605), Jahangir (1605-1627) and Shah Jahan (1628-1658) and celebrates the craftsmanship and creativity of their court workshops.
Rarely shown paintings and illustrated manuscripts not seen for a generation are displayed alongside delicate textiles, brilliantly coloured carpets and fine objects made of mother of pearl, rock crystal, jade and precious metals, the V&A points out.
The Mughal dynasty was founded in 1526 by Babur, a Timurid prince and ruler from Central Asia. At its peak, it was one of the wealthiest and most progressive empires in the world, and extended from Kabul in present-day Afghanistan, to the borders of the Deccan sultanates in the south, and from Gujarat in the west to present-day Bangladesh in the east.
Susan Stronge
The golden age of Mughal art lasted from about 1580 to 1650 and spanned the reigns of the three emperors. The imperial workshops employed Hindu and Muslim artists and craftsmen from across the newly conquered territories. Persian was the cultural language of the multilingual empire, which attracted skilled Iranian painters, calligraphers, architects and many others to the wealthy, cosmopolitan court. This exhibition traces the creation and evolution of a distinctively Mughal art. From jewelled vessels to richly coloured velvets and the art of the book to architecture, it examines the many techniques and conventions that were constantly absorbed and reimagined.
As children growing up in India, we were taught that Akbar was, as PG Wodehouse would put it, a thoroughly good egg (despite not allowing Salim to marry the girl he loved in Mughal-eAzam). He was 14 when he suddenly became emperor. He proved to be one of the greatest rulers in Indian history.
Akbar constantly encouraged innovation and c r e a t i v i t y . Workshops supplied his court with luxury products made by craftsmen from across the empire and from Iran. From the 1580s, they started to absorb elements of European art brought by Jesuit missionaries who came to Akbar’s court from the Portuguese territory of Goa. All of these different traditions were combined to create a vibrant new art.
For the Iranian festival of Nowruz (New Year), the court was decorated with luxurious textiles and carpets. Akbar championed new crafts and established court workshops, including goldsmiths and the House of Books. Precious objects made in these workshops are on display, including two rarely seen folios from the colourfully illustrated volumes of the Hamza-Nama, or Book of Hamza, commissioned by the emperor in the 1570s.
Jahangir continued his father’s legacy of artistic patronage. Jade from Khotan on the Silk Route was made into exquisite vessels for the emperor. The technique of enamelling, probably learned from Europeans, became one of the great Mughal arts. The dazzling appearance of the court inspired Sir Thomas Roe, England’s first ambassador to the Mughal emperor, to write to Prince Charles (later King Charles I) that Jahangir’s empire was “the treasury of the world”.
Under Jahangir, when the court, the royal household, servants and officials transferred from one major city to another, they were invariably accompanied by artists and craftsmen.
Shah Jahan became emperor after his father died in 1627. His coronation began a reign renowned for its sumptuous artistic production and its unified style. The vast wealth accumulated in the imperial treasuries allowed the ruler to follow his passion for architecture and to commission extravagant jewelled artefacts.
This unprecedented harmony in Mughal art was inspired by the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan’s wife Arjumand Banu Begum, entitled “Mumtaz Mahal”, died giving birth to their 14th child. Within days, the grief-stricken emperor began planning a grand mausoleum for her in Agra, set within a large formal garden. The flowering plants, carved on its walls and inlaid in jewel-like colours on her white marble cenotaph, influenced artistic production at all levels.
Across the empire, artisans in specialist workshops replaced traditional patterns with blossoms in the new court style. Floral motifs were carved on emeralds, enamelled on gold vessels and weapons, and painted on the borders of album pages.
The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence runs at the V&A until May 5, 2025.
Rockstar Games has taken swift action against a GTA Online player who streamed unreleased content from the upcoming Money Fronts update using a jailbroken PlayStation 5. The player was removed from an online session in real-time by a Rockstar administrator, reinforcing the studio’s zero-tolerance stance on leaks and unauthorised access.
Player ejected during livestream
During the livestream, the user was showcasing content from the Money Fronts downloadable content (DLC), which is officially due for release on 17 June 2025. Midway through the broadcast, the stream was interrupted with an on-screen message that read:
"You have been kicked from this session by a Rockstar Games administrator."
The footage of the removal quickly circulated on social media, drawing attention from both fans and modders. Viewers noted that the player was accessing the content through a modified PS5 system, exploiting preloaded update files made available ahead of the launch.
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Jailbroken console used to access preloaded files
As part of standard procedure, Rockstar Games preloaded the Money Fronts update on servers in advance of the public launch to manage server strain. However, some users with jailbroken consoles were able to bypass restrictions and unlock parts of the content prematurely.
This particular streamer not only accessed the content but also chose to broadcast it publicly, which likely triggered the quick intervention by Rockstar staff monitoring such activity. Jailbreaking a PS5 is a breach of Sony’s terms of service, and combining that with unauthorised access to unreleased game data raises significant legal and ethical concerns.
Rockstar’s enforcement stance
Rockstar Games has long maintained a strict policy against hacking, cheating, and leaking within its community. Following high-profile leaks of GTA VI in 2022 and previous GTA Online updates, the company has intensified efforts to prevent similar incidents.
The publisher views such violations seriously and often takes disciplinary action ranging from game bans to legal notices. Parent company Take-Two Interactive has also actively pursued legal action against modders and leakers in the past.
Warning to the community
This latest incident serves as a reminder to players ahead of the official Money Fronts DLC launch. Rockstar is actively monitoring its online platforms and is prepared to act against those who access or distribute content ahead of schedule via unofficial means.
With anticipation building for the new expansion, the developer has made it clear: unauthorised early access will not be tolerated.
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Simone Ashley appears without dialogue in Brad Pitt’s F1 after major cuts to her role
Simone Ashley, best known for her breakout role in Bridgerton, won’t have the screen time fans expected in Brad Pitt’s upcoming Formula 1 film F1. Despite being part of the film’s promotional buzz and having filmed scenes alongside the main cast, Ashley’s role was trimmed down to a blink-and-miss appearance with no dialogue.
Director Joseph Kosinski confirmed the change, stating that the edit came down to tough decisions made during the final cut. Speaking in an interview, he said, “Every movie has more content than it can use. We had to drop two or three storylines for pacing. Unfortunately, Simone’s was one of them.”
Director praises Ashley but fans question repeated sidelining of actors of colour
Kosinski was quick to express admiration for Ashley, calling her “an incredible talent, actress, and singer” and adding, “I’d love to work with her again.” Still, the move has reignited conversations around how actors of colour are often given prominent placement during production and marketing, only to be cut back when the film is finalised.
Ashley has not directly commented on the cut since previews began, but earlier this year, she acknowledged that her role was “very small.” She said, “I’m just grateful to be in that movie. I got to experience many Grands Prix. I don’t think I’ll ever do anything like that again.” She also shared that the filming process felt like live theatre, given how tight and chaotic the schedule was while shooting during actual races.
Director Joseph Kosinski says Ashley’s storyline was cut for pacing and time constraintsGetty Images
The incident has drawn comparisons to Filipino-Canadian actor Manny Jacinto’s reduced screen time in Top Gun: Maverick, also directed by Kosinski. Jacinto’s part was heavily promoted but eventually cut down to a wordless cameo. Critics have noted a troubling pattern where actors of colour are regularly used for marketing but sidelined in final edits.
While F1 continues to generate buzz ahead of its 27 June release, Ashley’s reduced role can be seen as emblematic of the industry’s ongoing issues with representation and why more inclusive stories need to come from within.
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Social media users quickly pointed out that large portions of the statement
Air India has come under fresh scrutiny following the deadly crash of Flight AI171 in Ahmedabad on 12 June 2025, which claimed more than 270 lives. This time, controversy surrounds the airline’s chief executive, Campbell Wilson, who is facing allegations of plagiarism over the phrasing used in his speech following the tragedy.
Speech similarity sparks online backlash
Two days after the crash, Air India released a video of Wilson expressing condolences and detailing the airline’s response. However, social media users quickly pointed out that large portions of the statement closely resembled remarks made by American Airlines CEO Robert Isom after a separate fatal mid-air incident in the US earlier this year.
“This is a difficult day for all of us here in India. Our focus is entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew, and their loved ones… We are actively working with the authorities on all emergency response efforts.”
These phrases mirrored those used by Isom following the 30 January 2025 collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter over Washington, DC. Online commentators posted side-by-side comparisons of the two speeches, highlighting word-for-word overlaps, including references to “emergency response efforts” and “working with authorities.”
Standardised language or unoriginal content?
The similarity triggered debate on social media, with some accusing Wilson of copying or using AI-generated templates. Others dismissed the criticism, suggesting that such statements often follow a familiar script during crises. “This seems like an SOP playbook response more than plagiarism,” one user commented. Another added, “There are bigger things to question Air India on.”
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Prominent industrialist Harsh Goenka also responded to the viral posts, calling the comparison “a good perspective” without taking a clear side.
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The airline has not publicly addressed the plagiarism allegations.
Context: India’s deadliest air disaster in decades
The controversy follows one of India’s worst aviation disasters in decades. Flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft struck a government hospital hostel, killing 241 passengers and crew on board and at least 29 people on the ground. One passenger, a British national, survived with serious injuries.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) working alongside British and American agencies. The aircraft’s black box was recovered days after the incident.
In response to the crash, Air India has scaled back Dreamliner operations by 15% and cancelled several international flights. The airline is also facing questions over maintenance protocols and safety oversight.
Crisis communication under the spotlight
While the debate over Wilson’s speech continues, communication experts note that statements made during public tragedies often rely on structured, empathetic language. Whether Air India’s CEO used common phrasing or copied directly remains unclear, but the incident has brought renewed focus on the airline’s crisis management, both operationally and publicly.
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Debris of Air India flight 171 is pictured after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 13, 2025.
A MINUTE of silence will be observed in Leicester on Sunday, June 22, to remember those who died in the recent Air India crash. The silence will take place during the inauguration of the annual Rathayatra festival of chariots in the city centre.
Organisers from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness confirmed the silence will be held at 11.20am, followed by traditional Hindu performances from Gujarat at Gallowtree Gate, outside Sports Direct.
The society’s president, Pradyumna Das, told Leicester Mercury: "Though a joyous occasion, this year's festival is marred by the tragic loss of so many lives in the plane crash, impacting families here in Leicester. Today we pray for the departed in hope for their reunion with the Supreme Lord."
The Air India flight crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, June 12. Of the 242 people on board, only one survived – Leicester man Viswash Kumar Ramesh. Among the dead were 53 British nationals, including several from Leicester.
The welcome ceremony for the festival starts at 9am. The chariot procession will begin after the inauguration and reach Cossington Park at 2.30pm for a free celebration.
Pradyumna told Leicester Mercury: "While we observe a world plagued with division and disharmony, this festival shares the wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita to encourage us to see the true spiritual nature of all beings. This means going beyond sectarianism and even religious affiliation. In the Rathayatra festival, the Lord of the universe, Jagannatha, rides through the city to offer his glance of love to everyone."
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Dua Lipa prepares to take over Wembley Stadium with back-to-back shows this weekend
Dua Lipa is heading home. For the first time in her career, the chart-topping pop star will headline Wembley Stadium in London this weekend, and fans are buzzing with anticipation. The two-night stop is part of her Radical Optimism world tour, which kicked off in Asia and will continue through the end of 2025. Here’s everything you need to know before heading to one of the capital’s biggest gigs this summer.
When, where, and what to expect from Dua’s Radical Optimism shows
Dua performs at Wembley Stadium on Friday, 20 June and Saturday, 21 June. Doors open at 5pm, support acts start from 6pm, and Dua is expected on stage by 8.15pm. Each show wraps up by 10.30pm.
The pop superstar is expected to perform a 22-track setlist, including hits like Levitating, Don’t Start Now, Dance the Night, and New Rules, alongside tracks from her latest album, Radical Optimism. Recent shows have also ended with a taped outro of Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody, keeping the energy high as fans exit.
Support acts for both nights include Dove Cameron and Alessi Rose. However, there’s speculation that RAYE and Charli XCX might also make surprise appearances for Dua’s hometown concert.
For those interested in merch, you can shop at the stadium or drop by the official pop-up shop in Shoreditch from 19 to 22 June (11am–6pm).
Dua Lipa on stage performing hitsGetty Images
Tickets, banned items, and travel advice
Tickets are still available through resale platforms like Viagogo, StubHub, and Ticketmaster. Prices range from £55.20 (₹5,800) for resale general admission to £549 (₹57,600) for the official ‘Dua Lipa Gold’ hospitality package. Fans should be cautious, though, since resale tickets might not be valid if the original terms don’t allow transfer. Always check with the original ticket provider.
Wembley has a strict bag policy of only one bag per person, no larger than A4. Also banned are alcohol, large umbrellas, glass bottles, perfume, selfie sticks, and professional cameras. Security checks are mandatory at entry.
When it comes to travel, Wembley Stadium is served by three stations, including Wembley Park (Metropolitan and Jubilee lines), Wembley Stadium (Chiltern Railways), and Wembley Central (Overground and Bakerloo). Check TfL’s website for updates, especially for planned closures or delays over the weekend.
Whether you’re a long-time fan or just love a good stadium show, this is set to be a memorable event in London’s live music calendar.