After the extraordinary success of our first coffee table book ‘ Pallavas and Chalukyas – Coopetition in Stone ‘ by Gurpreet Chopra and Bharat, we are pleased to announce the launch of ‘Project Chitraayana’ with Jay Jina heading this initiative as Director.
Before returning to part-time academia as a mathematician, and to devote more time pursuing Indic interests, Jay had a varied career in international business during which, for many years, he headed up IT within a multinational company. A third generation African-born British Hindu, Jay has continued to discover, develop, and connect with his Indian roots by exploring his heritage through its rich, diverse, living traditions and culture and the variegated history of India.
Jay is now taking on the role of Director for Project Chitraayana. The vision of this ambitious initiative is to assemble a passionate and knowledgeable set of scholars and photographers, each one a storyteller and a Yaatri, to document and share India’s rich cultural heritage through a series of coffee table books. Captured in vivid visuals and words crafting stories told through the experiential eye of the insider who lives and breathes this culture, these works shall inspire readers to walk in the footsteps of ancestors, to discover common meaning, to connect culture and history with current context, and to protect, preserve, and pass on the legacy of a “felt community” to future generations.
Jay holds degrees in Mathematics, Engineering, and Business Management from Manchester, Warwick and the Open University, United Kingdom.