Krishnendu

“Wherever he went, Bihzad saw the same men. Their faces, colours and names changed, but he recognised them instantly. Among the merchants and generals, beggars and saints, he saw the same urges. What would make a merchant different from another, when the same greed flowed in them all? How could one tell one thief from another? A murderous general from his rival? What was the use of drawing a face with minute care, when it was no different from another face? Finally, as his old teacher had taught, Bihzad saw their true selves.”
― Kunal Basu, The Miniaturist

“Under the Mughals Agra became the world - its streets busting with men and women of all faiths, colours, ringing with the sound of many tongues. perhaps it's arrogance was its downfall”
― Kunal Basu, The Miniaturist

“You must see what He sees. Not the view of the mortal, but a glorious world washed clean in magical light and dazzling with colour. You must copy in miniature the world He has drawn. One where everything is carefully chosen, the profusion of nature simplified, men and women incomparably beautiful, everything as precious and perfect as He willed them to be.... The artist is closest of all to the Creator.”
― Kunal Basu, The Miniaturist

“Time is not a ladder one ascends into the future but a ladder one descends into the past”
― Anita Desai, The Zigzag Way