SAF Publications

About the Author

Madanjeet Singh was born on 16^th April 1924 in Lahore, present-day Pakistan. A well-known painter and a distinguished photographer, he is an internationally known author of several books on art and other subjects, closely interwoven with UNESCO's and SAARC's programmes, principles and ideals.

He has published several books, among them:

- Indian Sculptures in Bronze and Stone (1951),
Available on the on-line catalogue of the "Library of the Congress":
http://catalog.loc.gov/

- Etruscan Cave Painting (1953),

- Indian Miniatures (1963),

- Ajanta, Paintings of the Sacred and the Secular (1964),
Available on the on-line catalogue of the "Library of the Congress":
http://catalog.loc.gov/

- and The White Horse (1976).

His collaboration with UNESCO began in 1954 when he published India: Paintings from Ajanta Caves in the UNESCO World Art Series; Prime Minister Nehru wrote the Preface. This was followed by Himalayan Art in 1968, also published in English in association with UNESCO, and translated into French, Italian and Spanish. In 1993, he published The Sun in Myth and Art during the UNESCO World Decade for Cultural Development, the 9 editions were translated into French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, and a sequel, The Timeless Energy of the Sun (1998), which was published by UNESCO for the UNESCO World Solar Program (1995 - 2005), also translated into many languages including Chinese.

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2012
Culture of the Sepulchre

2010
UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institutions of Excellence

Download the monograph (pdf: 4,8 Mo)

2008
Kashmiriyat, the Institute of Kashmir Studies, Srinagar

Date of publication: 2008 Number of pages: 144 pages Format: 25 cm x 20 cm

On 26 May 2008, the Institute of Kashmir Studies was inaugurated in Srinagar, Kashmir, by H.E. Shrimati Pratibha Patil, President of India, to promote the traditional Bhakti-Sufi-Rishi pluralistic culture of Kashmiriyat.

Download the monograph (pdf: 9,1 Mo)

2007
The Oral and Intangible Heritage of South Asia

Date of publication: 2007 Number of pages: 32 pages Format: 25 cm x 20 cm UNESCO ISBN: 9 789231 040559

This monograph was produced in celebration of the 60^th Anniversary of UNESCO and on the occasion of the annual meetings of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors and SAF Governing Council, South Asia Foundation arranged performances of 40 outstanding  south asian dancers and musicians at the UNESCO house, Paris.

Download the monograph (pdf: 1,3 Mo)

2005
Sasia Story

Date of publication: 2005 Number of pages: 224 pages Format: 25 cm x 20 cm UNESCO ISBN: 92 3 203992 3 See also the South Asian vernacular editions >

Over half a century and a score of books later, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote the introduction to Madanjeet Singh's latest book, The Sasia Story (2005).

It is a poignant and riveting saga of the traumatic communal conflicts that the author witnessed in the aftermath of Partition and which shaped his lifelong commitment to secular ideals and regional cooperation.

He strongly believes that in today's fast-moving and ultra-competitive world no country can survive unilaterally. 'Sasia' is a name he has coined for South Asia's common currency in the hope that, like the Euro, it will become an anchor of economic stability, peace and prosperity.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu describes The Sasia Story as 'a splendid tribute to the people of the region and to the author'.

The Sasia Story has been published in English, French, Spanish and other major European language editions by UNESCO in cooperation with the European Commission and South Asia Foundation.

Download the Sasia Story (pdf: 8,3 Mo)

1996
The Timeless Energy of the Sun

1993
The Sun, In Myth and Art

1989
This my People

1968
Himalayan Art

1954
India, Paintings from Ajanta Caves

In 1949, shortly after India's partition, Prime Minister Jawaharlal  Nehru handwrote the Preface to This My People - later published worldwide (1989) in several languages. 'An astonishing book of photographs..... his is a mental journey through the India he loves deeply', wrote Souren Melikian, the eminent art critic of The International Herald Tribune.

The famous film producer Ismail Merchant praised 'the aesthetic merits and historical value of the book' in a full-page review in The New York Times.