Kite's Eye View

ROLI

Kite’s Eye View

F

rench photographer Nicolas Chorier, forty-five, has been an exponent of kite photography for

over ten years. He has used the technique in the fields of agronomy research, archaeology, tourism, national heritage surveys, and wildlife documentaries. Each of these applications led him to devise tailor-made hardware and photographic techniques, with the result that he is now a master of the art form. Chorier has shot extensively all over the world, in places as diverse as India, Brazil, Malaysia, Laos and Uzbekistan.

Kite’s Eye View

India Between Earth and Sky

A

erial photography is prohibited in India.

It can only be done with permission from

various government agencies. It is for this reason that there are hardly any substantial books on India from the air. For the first time, Nicolas Chorier achieves this feat by using

Nicolas Chorier

the fascinating technique of kite photography

Foreword by Zubin Mehta

the camera). The book showcases the finest

(taking aerial pictures by using a kite to lift work of the French photographer, who has been shooting in India for many years. Seen

Ind i a

His pictures on the Nagaur Fort were part of a report that received the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award for architectural conservation.

Documentaries on him have been screened on French TV, and he has had several exhibitions of his work worldwide, including one across India.

here are unique and spectacular views of the wonders of India, jewels such as Amber Fort, Mehrangarh Fort, Nagaur Fort, Pushkar, Chittorgarh, Taj Mahal, Hampi, Mamallapuram and

the

beaches

and

backwaters

of

Kerala. Accompanying the pictures is the photographer’s anecdotal take on his India odyssey. For anyone who loves India and its rich heritage, this lavish book is a sumptuous treat for the eyes.

Nicolas Chorier

ISBN: 978-81-7436-471-5

Front Cover: The colossal Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur gleams from a hundred feet atop a

Back Cover: The Bahai Temple in Delhi, constructed in the shape of a lotus flower.

Kite Eye View 7 4 2011.indd 1

perpendicular cliff. www.rolibooks.com

6/13/11 4:05 PM

Kite’s Eye View

IInd nd i a Between Earth and Sky Nicolas Chorier Foreword by Zubin Mehta

Kite’s Eye View

IInd nd i a Between Earth and Sky Nicolas Chorier Foreword by Zubin Mehta

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D el hi

D

elhi, India’s capital, is also its third largest city, with a population of about 14 million.

The seat of political power, Delhi has shaped and decided the destiny of India. Many

have invaded Delhi, including the Persian emperor Nadir Shah, who sacked the city in 1739. There have been at least eight cities around modern Delhi, established variously by Hindu kings and Muslim conquerors, and most recently by the British. While the first city was that of Indraprastha, featured in the epic Mahabharata three thousand years ago, the eighth – New Delhi – was inaugurated by the British in 1931. Delhi became the capital of modern India in 1947.

Top and facing page: ‘I’m not sure I shot that photograph – there were so many radio interferences… When getting close to the Qutub Minar, my camera was shooting by itself, randomly…’ A soaring tower at 73 metres, Qutub Minar has five storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony. The site of the first Muslim kingdom in India, it was started by Qutbuddin Aibak, then a slave-general of the Afghan invader Muhammad of Ghuri, in 1193. While Aibak could complete only one storey, his successors – Iltutmish, Alauddin Khilji and Feroze Shah Tughlaq – built the rest.

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D el hi

D

elhi, India’s capital, is also its third largest city, with a population of about 14 million.

The seat of political power, Delhi has shaped and decided the destiny of India. Many

have invaded Delhi, including the Persian emperor Nadir Shah, who sacked the city in 1739. There have been at least eight cities around modern Delhi, established variously by Hindu kings and Muslim conquerors, and most recently by the British. While the first city was that of Indraprastha, featured in the epic Mahabharata three thousand years ago, the eighth – New Delhi – was inaugurated by the British in 1931. Delhi became the capital of modern India in 1947.

Top and facing page: ‘I’m not sure I shot that photograph – there were so many radio interferences… When getting close to the Qutub Minar, my camera was shooting by itself, randomly…’ A soaring tower at 73 metres, Qutub Minar has five storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony. The site of the first Muslim kingdom in India, it was started by Qutbuddin Aibak, then a slave-general of the Afghan invader Muhammad of Ghuri, in 1193. While Aibak could complete only one storey, his successors – Iltutmish, Alauddin Khilji and Feroze Shah Tughlaq – built the rest.

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Left: ‘It’s not easy to fly a big kite in crowded Old Delhi, and it needs a lot of patience to find the appropriate wind and light conditions for a good aerial photograph. I shot the great Jama Masjid in the early morning, in the still cool night wind, before it became misty. The old bazaar surounding the mosque was slowly waking up, and I can still feel the cold surface of the marble pavement under my feet… I was flying my kite from inside the mosque…’ India’s largest mosque, the Jama Masjid was built by Mughal emperor Shahjahan as part of his capital city of Shahjahanabad. Started in 1644, it took five thousand workmen over six years to build it.

Top: The dukka (water tank) in the mosque courtyard for ritual ablutions.

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Left: ‘It’s not easy to fly a big kite in crowded Old Delhi, and it needs a lot of patience to find the appropriate wind and light conditions for a good aerial photograph. I shot the great Jama Masjid in the early morning, in the still cool night wind, before it became misty. The old bazaar surounding the mosque was slowly waking up, and I can still feel the cold surface of the marble pavement under my feet… I was flying my kite from inside the mosque…’ India’s largest mosque, the Jama Masjid was built by Mughal emperor Shahjahan as part of his capital city of Shahjahanabad. Started in 1644, it took five thousand workmen over six years to build it.

Top: The dukka (water tank) in the mosque courtyard for ritual ablutions.

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Above and right: ‘Today I’m lucky. The wind is so good, clearing the sky in Delhi, and I am there to catch the light when it is good. I have enough space around me, and it is a pleasure to shoot Humayun’s Tomb in a three-dimensional way. There are two eagles flying close to my kite, and a huge hawk flying with my camera. They turn around, curious, and stay close during my whole flight. I feel in tune, I exist all the way up to my sail…’ The first example of a great Mughal garden tomb, Humayun’s Tomb set the standard and inspired many later buildings, including the Taj Mahal. The resting place of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, the tomb was commissioned by the emperor’s senior widow, Haji Begum, and built in 1565 by Persian architect Mirak Mirza Ghiyas.

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Above and right: ‘Today I’m lucky. The wind is so good, clearing the sky in Delhi, and I am there to catch the light when it is good. I have enough space around me, and it is a pleasure to shoot Humayun’s Tomb in a three-dimensional way. There are two eagles flying close to my kite, and a huge hawk flying with my camera. They turn around, curious, and stay close during my whole flight. I feel in tune, I exist all the way up to my sail…’ The first example of a great Mughal garden tomb, Humayun’s Tomb set the standard and inspired many later buildings, including the Taj Mahal. The resting place of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, the tomb was commissioned by the emperor’s senior widow, Haji Begum, and built in 1565 by Persian architect Mirak Mirza Ghiyas.

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