Nandita Punj
Nandita Punj is a doctoral candidate in the department of Art History at Rutgers University. Her dissertation on early modern Jain manuscript painting examines the role of vernacular art in the visual culture of western India. She highlights the case of eighteenth century Bikaner, home to a community of scribes- turned- artists who helped sustain a vernacular tradition parallel to and in dialogue with courtly artistic practices. Nandita also holds a PhD in History from the University of Delhi having worked on Jain monastic orders in early medieval western India. Prior to joining Rutgers, she held the position of Senior Lecturer in the department of History at Kamala Nehru College, University of Delhi.
