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Latest albums added to this collection : Jharkand, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Lakshadweep, Andaman Islands [Nov 2012]
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Keynote from the photographer on this collection
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India is the 7th largest country by area with a population of over a billion. Its southern peninsula is bordered by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the east. Its northern landmass shares borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma and Bangladesh. The Indian constitution is its supreme law and declares India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic. The country is divided into 28 states and 7 union territories.
One of my earliest memories about India is the school flag hoisting ceremony on Independence Day and one teacher’s focused effort to engrave in my mind the phrase “Unity in diversity”. At that time as a boy, I was quite young to understand the magnitude of citizenship or the benefits of a polychromatic society. However, those incidents should be acknowledged as the sparks that lit the fire of fascination to discover the true grit of India. This genuine intrigue from those days and the travel means that further came along, gave me the opportunities to feel the surface of a united and diverse India.
Another early childhood memory I have is about the language I spoke in India. Some might take it as a cliché but it is true that an unknown drunkard in a barbershop was the one who explained to me the meaning of the word “mother tongue”. It remains vivid because of the grand nature in which he illustrated the importance of language, state and nation quoting lines of poet Mahakavi Vallathol – “Bharatham ennu kettal abhimana poorithamaganam andharangam, Keralam ennu kettalo thilakkannam chora njrambuilum” - which in one way translates to be proud of India and to be passionate about Kerala.
Every time I have tried to understand India, it has baffled me with its intricate interconnections and its random dynamics. The country's social surface remains calm at top but is quite turbulent beneath. I have been critiqued for making too many assumptions whenever I have tried to generalize people or a nation. I guess I should learn a thing or two from that and refrain from abstracting the tapestry of a heritage that has evolved from a culture with centuries of unparalleled historic variances. This photo collection is far from holistic but is a slice of contemporary India I have been fortunate to witness.
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Sumesh Sukumar
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Nov 2012
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