Musicians Village I, Photograph copyrighted Vinita Agarwal
Rajasthan to me, is a musical delight. Music, and that too heartfelt and powerful, resonates in almost every region. Some seem to be deeply religious, some performance related, and others for the pure purpose of entertaining. There seems to be an inherent connection to music, with the people of Rajasthan; in their blood and in their soul. Different regions have different musical influences, linking directly to the need for expressing emotions and desires which for many years were surpressed due to rule and conquering over a vast period in history. Through my photographs I wanted to portray this character of music, which I encountered during a trip to a musicians village. The villagers expressed their need for proper resources to continue their legacy of singing and performing with instruments specific to the Rajasthani culture; a place where young talent can improve and learn what their forefathers sung and played for generations before them. Such establishments in such rural poor areas unfortunately do not exist making the future of such music slightly doubtful. The commercial aspect of performance, such as shows in hotels and concerts is still extremely popular however this remains conformed and restrictive. I feel that something needs to be done, to make sure that it continues, and that such powerful song and music, does not become transparent, like traces of dust in the wind of the desert. I hope that it continues to leave its mark. Please check my website for the full series.
March 26, 2009 – 12:14 pm
From the Blue Book Series, by Dayanita Singh
Whilst in India, I visited Dayanita Singh’s new exhibition titled the ‘Blue Book’. The photographs to me represented a silent beauty. Considering that so much of her previous work, has been of people, characters and families, this lacked the presence of those very people and thus in turn to me became silent. I did not feel however, as though something was missing per se, but rather that the quietude depicted in a country like India was evermore made real – in that perhaps it is not so ‘hustling and bustling’ but shares its moments of serenity like the rest of the world. Even if the country is asleep, light is awake, which comes with the sun and in this series seems to have caught those few moments of twilight, as it casts a glow of blue throughout the photographs. Definitely worth seeing.
Tamang Girlfriends, Yarsa Village, Nuwakot 1984
Kevin Bubriski’s work seems in some form to resonate with my own – it has often been described as portraying a sense of ‘dignity’ in the portraits of people whom he chooses to depict. Using large format, and in black and white he photographs people in their most natural of states, although distanced from the world, and slightly disturbed by the presence of the photographer, their essence and purity of state remains persistent. There has always been a danger with works which stem from anthropological point of view, or the idea of trying to show people ‘how they are’. Sometimes, such work can be flat, never completely objective and emotionless. This is a dilemma I find myself often facing; however I find that if a bond is developed through the moment in which the photograph is taken, the person’s character tends to reveal itself even more. Worth looking into is his now out of print book, on his portraits of Nepal available from Amazon.
