Page 63 - Tehelka Issue 15 August 2018

photography

photo: amit pasricha

photography. His father is the famed moments and spaces, he used the But “India Lost and Found” is much
and pioneering, award-winning pho- panoramic format. The text for both has more than that. “A monument is a living
tographer Avinash Pasricha, known been written by Amit’s wife- Bharati entity, almost an emotion and it makes
for is defining dance and music images. Motwani and both books are inter- you want to know about the people
Through his childhood he had seen his national bestsellers. “‘Sacred India’ is who constructed them and know
father, who was the photo editor of the very special for me since as an Indian about their culture and arts. In the west
magazine SPAN for 25 years, compose you are constantly engaged with the heritage is seen as a living tradition and
shots and work with cameras and spiritual. I too found as I photographed so we learn about the Civil War battles
lenses. A host of uncles and cousins for it that I had a special relationship or the food and clothing of the time
are also well known photographers. In with it”, admits Amit. The book won the through enactments. But in India our
such a situation it is hard to resist that prestigious German Photo Book Award monuments are the preserve of archi-
kind of osmotic learning, and despite formerly the Kodak Award. tects and conservationists alone. We
a regular education from the premier Amit’s new project is an initiative he cannot link the tangible parts of culture
college of Delhi University, St. Stephen’s calls “India Lost and Found”. A line in with its intangible manifestations like
College, Amit gravitated towards the foreword that William Dalrymple food, music or clothes. We use our her-
photography. Interestingly, while his wrote for him in ‘Monumental India’ itage at best as a set for films and serials.
father focuses on getting the moment alerted him to the fact that the several “India Lost and Found” is an attempt to
right, Amit rejects the fleeting second lacs of undocumented and unprotected enliven heritage monuments for the
and holds central in his composition monuments in India were in a fragile next generation through the inputs of
the “sum of moments as captured in condition and vulnerable. Even local experts and scholars. We use the digital
the overall impact. In effect what my people were unaware of its value, often space and social medialike Facebook
photographs tend to do is to take away using it as a lavatory or a drug ‘adda’. He and Instagram, as a ‘Crowd Collective’
all distractions of heat and dust that feared that they would be gone forever project. Now over twohundredmonu-
comes with travel in India and allows and so he began visual documentation ments are posted on our social media
you the essential experience”! in hope of the directory getting formed. platform awaiting comments and value
‘Monumental India’ came at the end “Many of these small monuments seem addition by experts.
of two and a half decades of shooting to have no name, or at least have lost We have to first define this herit-
for the Ministry of Tourism and the them over time. How do you begin to age for ourselves and then only can
Departments of Tourism of the many describe the monument if you don’t we leave it for our children and to
state governments. His pictures can know it exists”, says Amit with genuine use a modern term, we really need to
be found worldwide inviting tourists concern. re-brand our heritage,” says Amit who
to visit incredible India, and have been at present is investing personal time,
exhibited extensively in India, London labour and resources into this initiative.
and New York. In 2008 he won the He hopes that before long he has the
India Tourism Award. Monumental support of corporates and others in an
India, which was co-published in many exercise he believes all of India needs
European capitals simultaneously, was to do. Using modern technology, he will
acclaimed as one of the top ten coffee look towards delivering this knowl-
table books in the world and was a edge through a youth friendly app for
frequent choice of a gift for a visiting androidand IOS.He wants to involve
dignitary, including French president the Liberal Arts colleges to drive the
Nicolas Sarkozy. content and conduct phone photogra-
After ‘Monumental India’, Amit phy workshops so that local communi-
produced two very special books- ‘The ties become the gatekeepers of their
Sacred India Book’(2010) and ‘India at own heritage. Like his panoramas, even
Home’ (2016). In both cases, despite the this he is working in his head first!
change is scale, and the fact that they
are intimate looks at private practices, letters@tehelka.com