ODAKH Kutch through lens
Hiten Ashara
ODAKH Kutch through lens
Hiten Ashara
INTRODUCTION The Great Rann of Kutch located in Thar desert is a district of Gujarat. Rann literally means desert in Hindi and Kutch means wet and dry. The region is famous for its marshy salt flats which remains submerged in water during rainy season and becomes snow white after the shallow water dries up each season before monsoon rains. The History of Kutch can be traced back to pre- historical as old as Indus Valley Civilisation. Many great kings have ruled the region enriching its culture. Kutch is surrounded by Arabian sea, Gulf of Kutch and Rann of Kutch that makes it virtually an island although it has numerous rivers and dams there is always a crisis of water in Kutch as the rivers feed directly Arabian sea and do not reach Rann of Kutch.The salt water of Arabian sea largely flow into the region. Kutch has captivated me in a strange way. Kutch has a beauty unique of its own. Where nature has been overtly discriminating in providing it with its bounties, the people of Kutch have been resolute in adding colours to their lives and bring a richness that is hard to see where nature has been benevolent. I have shown this documentation mostly in black and white. It would sound strange and unconvincing keeping in view the hues and color that dominate and highlight Kutch. I have done so because I have a different perception of a area. In my view the reality is in stark contrast to what meets the eye. I find that Kutch corresponds to what the nature has provided for it. The underline current is not colourful in fact it is very very dark. I have made an attempt to capture it in a limited way I feel a lot has been left untouched. I have named this documentation ‘Odakh’ which means identity. Kutch is fighting for making its mark in the cold and competitive world of glamour and fashion without compromising with its traditional, simple and conventional way of life.
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Kutch is dominated by vast expenses of desert which is the only beauty of it. The salt flats gives a vision of white snow when in fact they are harsh and merciless land that provides little relief to the inhabitants. Kutch’s thirst is evident from its starkness although it houses numerous rivers. People here are though quite resourceful and they have managed to build well developed roads that links Kutch to various highways. This view has been taken from top of a tower. While roads are being developed the locals still prefer a ride on their regional animal, camel whom they trust to take them across the wildness of deserts.
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Innocence is omnipresent. One is compelled to get lost in the smiles of innocence and wish to forget all the miseries of life. These kids know no hardships, living in present and enjoying every moment. However it is a pity that the future of most the children living in rural parts of Kutch holds not enough promise as they have limited means of livelihood and people here still hold on to their conventional and traditional ways of earning their living.
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Its heartening to see group of girls smiling at a place that is infamous for the many injustices meted out to women. Women are yet to come at par with their male counterparts. Female infanticide, child marriages, and keeping women illiterate are still some of the practices common in Kutch. Most of the girls have to be in ‘Pardah’ or keep their heads covered which made my heart sad as I compared them with the girls living in urban areas who atleast did not have to follow such orthodox practises. I befriended two little girls Rehana & Siya and the memories of time I spent with them shall remain fresh forever in my mind.
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While girls steal some moments of sharing a few laughs with their peers, most of the time they are bogged down by responsibilities dumped prematurely on their shoulders. I captured a girl, her face mostly covered, her eyes full of apprehension and distrust and her look saying that she was resigned to her fate.
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A young mother can be seen cradling her child. It wrenches one’s heart to see someone who herself is a child should mother a young one. Girls are married off even before they can attain adulthood and they soon beget children not knowing the consequences it has on their body in the long run. Lack of knowledge on motherhood, health and nutrition render both the mother and the child unhealthy, not to speak of the mother who still had years ahead of her to bear such responsibilities.
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A typical lady here needs no words of description. She portrays all in her attire and her tired dejected look, the essence of Kutch. Black attire, while traditional clothing of Kutch, to me portrays a bleakness that surrounds the lives of Kutchi people. One can see the wrinkles of the women, all the hardships that she must have gone through all her life, her hard features that bespeak of the enormous load that her delicate shoulders may have been forced to carry, the lost dreams she may have once envisioned and the remorse she must have felt at the drudgery.
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I wonder at the strength and resolve of the women of Kutch !! Deserts are known to be very hot and it is only logical to cover one’s head with white or light colors as most men do. But I witness that women here cover their heads and their bodies mostly with black. How they tolerate such intense heat accentuated by black clothing I fail to fathom. This must be an old lady of about sixty years yet she looks much older and seems to be looking at a distance as far as her weak eyes can see and I wonder what they are searching for.
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I came across a boy who was hardly fifteen years of age but something in his eyes caught my attention. It was in sharp contrast with the boys I come across my city of his age. I have only known boys who had a care free and a happy attitude. Seeing this boy made something stir inside me. In his eyes I saw great distrust, pain and uncertainty over what his future might hold for him.
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Here is a portrait of a man that I came across half buried in the darkness of his own shadow. Wether he was hiding himself from the world or from his own dark fears cannot be put clearly. While his eyes look menacing it would be injustice towards him to brand him as dangerous without knowing about his mysterious past.
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I was thrilled to see various communities living in Kutch, one of them were Muslims. Here is a Mullah of nearby mosque who was happy at being photographed. It was heartening to feel communal friendliness and all sects of society living in peace.
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Children specially girls are introduced to household activities right from an early age. An old lady is trying to teach a girl sieving wheat while the boys just looks on. Before the girl would know she would be an expert in taking care of the house. In a way she is being trained for her marriage after which all such duties would fall upon her.
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Kutch is famous for its intricate embroidery and women have a flair and a passion for it. While this not only provides them an extra income but is also a source of joy that provides women some relief from their hard and routine life. However it is ironic that such amount of hard work only fetches them a small income. But when they are brought outside the village they earn the traders huge profits.
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A young women is seen knitting a colourful quilt. These quilts are very famous and widely acclaimed all over the world. Most of them are hand works where hours of patience and a great eye for detailed and precise work is involved. But all this seems to come naturally to the people of Kutch as if this art has mixed in their blood since it has been passed as a legacy from generations to generations.
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Another art form prevalent in Kutch is the art of decoratin earthen wares with rustic paints and colors. People here love to color their pots and they are also sold in the market that provides livelihood to many families. This art comes naturally to these people as it is being practised since generations.
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At a first glance one only visualises a man working at a ‘Dhobi ghat’ . But the man is not simply washing any cloth. He is actually in a part of process where the clothes are first dyed then washed to remove excess colour after which they are dried as the final product. I have tried to capture the image where one can see water droplets, cloth in hand and the man poised in the motion to pat the cloth on to the washing area. The front is covered in the shadow to give a contrast to the light of the background.
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Another remarkable craftsmanship of Kutch is the Batik painting or Wax painting. It is a time consuming and meticulous technique of decorating fabric by hand. The designs, as they are drawn give the artisans artistic freedom as against the designs that are woven with thread. This type of painting has a huge demand in the international market . As the man sits and work diligently for hours in his small room I envision the sun rays following on him but wonder if his paintings would ever see the light of success and wether his hard wok would really pay off.
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Pottery is yet another traditional art form that still persists in Kutch. This time consuming, laborious and delicate art has also been carried down for generations. The artisans are very creative and make numerous items revolving their wheel and using mud.
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Here are a few of the various things that the potters create out of their imaginations. I was deeply fascinated and awed by the craftsmanship. They gave me a feeling of earthiness and made me feel humble as I saw the potters grounded in the simplicity of their work still untouched by the glamour and advancement that is taking shape all over the world.
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Ajrak is a unique form of block printed shawls found in Kutch among other places they are made with natural dyes where Indigo is the key dye. These are made using stamps for block printing. Arjak can be traced back to the civilisation of Indus Valley that existed around 2500-1500 BC. Ajrak means blue in Arabic which is the principle color of Ajrak painting. This art was brought down from Sindh by Khatris who migrated here in 16th Century.
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Here is a display of Rogan art. It is an ancient skill with its origin from Persia which came down around 400 years ago. It is a dying art and it is being practiced in only small village called Nirona in Kutch. This painting is done by hands but it is a time consuming and pain staking process. First castor oil is heated to boiling point over three days, cooled and then as it thickens it is mixed with appropriate amount of colours. A thin iron rod, flat at both ends is used to paint. There is only a small family of 6 people who are still shouldering this traditional and dying art.
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The limitation of job opportunities force people to rely mostly on workmanship for their livelihood. One late evening I took this photograph and saw this man working by wielding some piece of iron in the dim light or what was left of the twilight. I saw his face only when his hands struck and produced a lighting when his hands used his instrument.
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A door is seen here where one can find the decoration done with ivory and filled with silver linings. It tells us about the rich royal heritage that Kutch once enjoyed. Every wall door or floor mirrors the great art form that is the dominating feature of Kutch and which is being still kept alive by the dedicated craftsman. It is this uniqueness that attracts tourists from all over the world to this remote region of Gujarat.
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Bells have been known to have various purposes for example as in temples, in schools, as articles of decoration, etc. , but in Kutch they have a remarkable use. The herdsman tie bells around their cattle’s neck. In this way they are able to identity and distinguish their cattles if they get lost. Each bell has a unique sound and the herdsman recognise their cattle out of the rest. You can also see the kind of water bottles in the picture mostly used in Kutch. These are carried by travellers when they have to venture out in deserts mostly on camels. These items tell us about the culture of Kutch and its simplicity produces a glow in our heart as they give us a vision of Kutch’s rural life.
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It is amazing how nature provides its creation the means of survival even in the harshest of the climatic conditions. Kutch habitats very few organisms. I chanced upon an insect that I had seen for the first time in my life. It was transparent and hopped about searching something to satisfy its hunger. If I learnt anything from Kutch it was to survive with strength against all odds and not give up ever even if the circumstances were hard and difficult.
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BIOGRAPHY Before I begin to say anything about myself, I need to mention that I dedicate my love for photography to my father who himself is a great photographer. He not only had a passion for it but made it a tool to carry out all his expenses right from school time and even paid his college fees from it. Perhaps I can attribute to my genes the same love and passion that my father had in him. I also loved photography right from my childhood and by the time I was 14 had begin experimenting my skills on mobile phones with as little as 2 megapixels. Some years later I acquired my first camera which was DSLR when I passed out my 12th. I use to be inspired by the works of other photographers and was fascinated specially by the upside down technique of photography. It gave me a thrill to watch things from upwards that gave my pictures an abstract look. I needed to learn and pursue this form of art in detail. However due to academic pressure my passion got a halt. I come from a small district, Surendranagar, Gujarat, where one does not get enough opportunities particularly in this field to pursue it much further. One of my cousins brought me to Ahmedabad where under the tutelage of Mr. Ketan Modi I learnt the nuances of photography. He explained to me that no picture is ever a wasted one and each has its own importance, so one shouldn’t reject a picture or be disappointed if it does not come well. I tutored under him for 3 months and I scoured the city, my each day exploring and searching for new, unique and exceptional angles. My steps took me once to a flower market. Perpetually on the lookout for great photos I saw a boy sleeping peacefully amidst his pile of flowers. I was so captivated by the sight that my hands immediately clicked on the camera. A few months later I sent this photograph to a competition held by “The International Photography Salon of Japan”. It was a pleasant and unexpected surprise when I got a gold medal for this photograph. My hopes and spirits rose and now I was determined to make photography a career and my future. At present this brought me to MRID and initiated me to Moving images. It is just a beginning and I have a long way to go in following my dream and I thank my stars that I have received this wonderful start and opportunity to follow my heart. In the documentation , ’Odakh’ my main emphasis has been to create portraits combining it with expressions that portray the significance of the lives, traditions and culture of a region.
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Concept and designed by Astha Singh