Frequently Asked Questions

 

Last Updated: February 17, 2024
Send Questions To: Contact Kamats 

 

Question What's Kamat's Potpourri?

Answer This is a website showcasing the works of Krishnanand and Jyotsna Kamat. This is a content rich,  personal website whose contents range from pre-historic rock paintings to documenting contemporary communities and it is a hodge-podge of Indian history, arts and culture.

Question Can I place a link to your site/page?

Answer Yes, Please. Thank you. We welcome your deep links as well (linking to a specific page instead of the main page). No permission is required to link to our pages. For details on what you cannot do, please see the copyright page.

Question Can you link to me?

Answer We have discontinued our Web Directory due to its high maintenance requirements. However, if you have a interesting website related our content, we can probably link to it. Perhaps you might want to consider buying a paid link as well.

Question Where can we buy your books?

Answer Please contact the respective publishers to purchase our works. Many of the books are out-of-print and are available only through specialty and second-hand (used) books stores.

Question Why are you still promoting the theory of Aryan invasion of India?

Answer First, your accusation is not true. We have not researched the topic of "Aryan Invasion of India" to be able confirm or deny the so called "Aryan Invasion of India" theory. But we do support all the scholars and historians who have researched the field of  Indology since its inception in the 18th century. We rely only on peer-reviewed and published research for our references, and do not promote a particular point of view or agenda.

Specifically, we do not believe that likes of Prof. A.L. Basham and Max Mueller conspired to belittle India, even though they might have been wrong on some matters. Even Issac Newton was wrong on one subject (he said the light composed of particles), but in no way his genius is lessened by it.

Question Why do I get absurd results in PictureSearch?

Answer Image Searching is an emerging technology that relies both on the keyword and the context. Kamat PictureSearch is configured to be generous and we show pictures even remotely matching the search criteria. If you did not find the pictures you were looking for in Kamat PictureSearch, or found too many,  please try using the and operator (as in Lord and Krishna instead of Krishna) or alternative words. Please remember that Indian names can be spelt in multiple ways.

Question Are you related to Kamat Hoteliers?  What is their Web Address?

Answer No, we are not related to the owners of Kamat restaurants spread throughout India; not that we are aware of anyway. Try KamatGroup.com External Link to reach them.

Question  How often do you update? Can you notify me when you update?

Answer We try to update at least on a weekly basis. The What's New page lists the new contents by date. We regret that we do not have a notification service. However, you can sign up for the Friends of Kamat Forum at Yahoo! Groups, where we list the new topics added every month.

We  have added a RSS Feed that you can subscribe to.

Question How to browse through these thousands of pages?

Answer The KalaRanga (The Timeless Theater) page has a table of contents, which we agree, needs work. The archive of old pictures  has many links in it. The Jai Karnataka and Gandhi Album collections feature a frame based navigation and are popular. The slide-shows (like the Faces of India -I, II and III) feature pictures in a slide show format, and at the end of every article, there are suggested links. You can browse through the Timeline of India and click on our smart SeeAlso buttons. We have a full text search mechanism. Other navigational tools include a site-map, a Master Index, Saved Searches,  a searchable Who's Who Database and a searchable Kamat PictureSearch Database. 

The best way to browse our site, is to come back often!

Poker FaceQuestion What is the Poker face?

Answer The poker face (shown on the right)  is a click-able map of related pictures at Kamat's Potpourri. Each of the red dots indicates a different picture and the green dot shown where you are in the map.

Question Who pays for Kamat's Potpourri?

Answer Currently it is supported from the humble savings of the Kamat family. We are considering alternate means of support at this time. You can help us attract advertisers by participating in an anonymous survey. More details on how to advertise on Kamat's Potpourri can be found in our Media-kit.

Question What's cool about Kamat's Potpourri?

Answer It serves as a distant learning resource for lesser known topics about India (see some of the recognition we have received, including anthropological and cultural listings). There's no Bollywood, no politics, no cricket (well, we have a picture), no Taj Mahal... Just the studies of two students of life.

Question How can I see all the pictures in KälaRanga archives?

AnswerYou can purchase The _Timeless Theater_ CD-ROM (ISBN:1929648006, CyberCrow 1999). It is available from online retailers like Amazon, Borders and in fine book stores where you would find books on Indian Art.

Question Can I copy the pictures/stories?

Answer Not for redistribution or for commercial purposes. You can print and distribute the pages without editing, for educational use. You can recommend, link or write critiques. You may not use the pictures on your websites without our consent. (Usually, we waive royalties for personal web pages, educational, and cultural institutions; but permission to reproduce is required via the Kamat Self-Service License Page). If you notice anyone using our content without an acknowledgement, please drop us a line at Contact Kamats . Thank you for supporting the intellectual works at Kamat's Potpourri.

Question How come you have all this material?

Answer Much of the content comes from the diaries of Dr. K.L. Kamat, who  is an avid student of Indian life, and Dr. Jyotsna Kamat, who is an active researcher in Indian history. During their long married life, they have written over ten thousand letters, thus producing a large archive of information. Along with personal notes, these diaries and  letters contain detailed catalog of museum pieces, interviews with famous people (1, ...), directions to sites (example, maps), social commentaries (example1, example2), travelogues, tribal studies and a constant soul searching.

It is our estimate that Kamat has over 200,000 photographs. Read his Introduction to the Timeless Theater.

Many a times, Universities (The Karnataka University, The Bangalore University, and the University of Bombay), book publishers, fellow researchers, and readers such as yourself have initiated us to take up new research topics. The Dept. of Gazetteer, The National Archives, The various Art Academies of India have been generous to provide us with permissions to photograph and provide resources. A list of such resources is listed in the Acknowledgements.

Question How to Cite Content from Kamat's Potpourri?

Answer We recommend the following format:
<Author>, <Page Title>, Kamat's Potpourri,<URL>, <Today's Date>

Example:
K. L. Kamat, "Pre-historic Rock Paintings of Bhimabetaka,"  Kamat's Potpourri, <http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/rockpain/betaka.htm>, July 20, 2006

Question Why do you use American spellings instead of Indian spellings?

Answer We use American English for our own convenience. Many of the software tools we use are configured for American English. Our justification for using American spellings also comes from the fact that over 95% of our readership (in year 2000) is in North America.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions about Kamat's Potpourri
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There's no Bollywood, no politics, no Cricket, no weather, no stocks.

 

 

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