Ajit Rana tells what drives him into the heartland of Rajasthan
Deserts of India have now been explored in a way that they bring a
fresh perspective on how we see it. Rather than the barren landscape,
cracks on surfaces it is the creases on countenances of men and women,
who lead harsh lives in inhospitable conditions, which have been
depicted through black and white and colour images. Meet Ajit Rana, who
keeps revisiting Thar Desert as he finds the rural life, rustic ambience
and the pastoral communities more fascinating than urban hubs.
Life has virtually come to a standstill in Ajit’s pictures. Rather
than the undulating sand dunes, it is the inhabitants who are the focus
of his attention. Fascination for village life is apparent in the
pictures. Men waiting for an opium ceremony, children chanting morning
prayers at a school in a nondescript village, a Raika shepherd and
monastery perched on a mountain in Ladakh have been depicted in a way to
transport the discerning to these remote places. It is a different
world altogether as Ajit gives us a glimpse into difficulties faced by
the locals who due to lack of economic activities lead tough lives.
An aged Bishnoi women, whose countenance, once beautiful, is now
riddled with lines manifest the hard life of the rural community. Bright
festivities, where men and women wear their well preserved traditional
attires and jewellery which have old world charm, have been framed for
posterity.
“This subject is personal; close to my heart. I like depicting faces,
portraits. My endeavour is to tell the entire story of a person through
one picture. Words are not be required to tell their stories. In desert
there is flora, fauna but what I find fascinating is communities living
there like the Bishnois. This exhibition is about people and their
lives; not the landscape.”
It is the cheerfulness of the natives, whose faces still cross a
smile when they see an outsider in their midst and celebrate their
age-old festival and customs with great gusto. “They wear bright
costumes, jewellery. Festivals in desert beautifully depict liveliness
in the desert.”
Harshness of life also seeps through in the images. “With no
irrigation, they have once a year crop. Monsoon is dismal. Bajra or
millet is grown in these remote regions of Gujarat and Rajasthan. They
survive on
bajre ki roti and k
er sangri.”
Not a professional photographer, Ajit has taken the trouble of going
into the interiors, where pastoral people live a quiet, secluded life,
cut off from modern amenities. These are not the places where tourists
flock to. His pictures are pride of place at India International Centre
Annexe where an exhibition of black and white and colour pictures is
currently on.
“As people in rural areas of Rajasthan have primarily been the
subject I had to go deep into heartland, wilderness and villages where
rural life can best be experienced not only by me but also by others.”
While exploring high altitude desert of Ladakh, which too is part of
the exhibition, Ajit faced a life threatening experience. “Three years
ago we were crossing Bara-lacha la Pass. It was on the same day when the
floods had destroyed Kedarnath. So we faced a heavy snowstorm and were
stuck at over 16,000 feet for three hours. This was at high altitude
with less oxygen. Breathing became difficult for me because I was then a
chain smoker. The entire night I was in and out of consciousness. Good
thing about this nightmarish experience was that I quit smoking.”
A globetrotter, Ajit has been mixing work with pleasure. “When I
began taking pictures it was not for an exhibition. I have taken
pictures in Africa, Scotland, China, Hong Kong, all over the world.”
All the men in images are nattily dressed in traditional dresses. Their bright colour
pugarees
are a style statement. Similarly bejeweled women look like they need to
be on the ramp. So costumes do play a role? “The objective is to
showcase their culture. Traditional outfits come alive in festivals.
Turbans and jewellery look very interesting. In fact, different
communities can be identified by their jewellery. Children have given up
traditional dresses and wear T shirts and pants. I have not chosen not
to ignore them; they are also captured in modern attire.”
Life in desert of Gujarat, which shares border with the desert State,
has also been explored. “I went to Rann of Kutch in May when people do
not go there at that time. But this month was ideal for appreciating the
beauty of tribal costumes. Lot of richness in their embroideries,
colours. Then I also encountered monks in Ladakh who wear traditional
ropes. These are simplistic but symbolizes life in monasteries.”
And Ajit has focused on tribals ofi Rann of Kutch. “These are all
Muslims who have been living there before the Partition. A boy in a
horse Pathan suit is in a black and white picture. All the men wear blue
colour suits. Women are shy, conservative and don’t like to come before
the camera.”
High altitude desert of Ladakh was new for Ajit. “It is a good
tourist destination but it is open only for four months. So many
tourists travel to Khardung La, world’s highest peak. Just imagine
people can get stuck there for four hours not because of snow but so
many people going there. You can go via Manali and then come back by
Kargil, Dras, Sringar and Jammu. It can be a whole circuit; so it can be
an adventure.”
Entire trip was for 13 days. “Three days it takes to reach Ladakh by
road. We had four cars. At Nubra Valley there are sand dunes and Pangong
Lake, which
3 Idiots had shown. I have captured that. Then there
are monasteries. I have captured male blue bulls engaged in long blood
fight, herd of male blue bull.”
Fascination for deserts began in Ajit at a young age. “My father is
from Saurashtra in Gujarat and my mother is from Rajasthan. I have seen
deserts my whole life although I grew up all over the world as my father
was in foreign service. However, I visited Rajasthan every holiday.
Memories of our village where the entire family used to gather and we
used to have celebrations for weddings and festivals are still alive.
The impact of rural life was also very strong on me and in spite of
living in cities, I felt just as much at home in a rural environment
Actress
Sunny Leone is the latest addition to the list of celebrities who have
contributed to help the people affected in flooded Kerala. On Friday,
Sunny shared an Instagram post, in which she mentioned that she and her
husband Daniel Weber have donated over 1,200 kg food material for the
people affected in the grief-stricken area. Sunny wrote: "Today Daniel
and I will hopefully be able to feed a few of the many people in Kerala
that need a warm meal with 1,200 kg (1.3 tons) of rice and daal. I
know it's not a dent in what actually needs to be sent and I wish I
could do more." In her post, the 37-year-old actress also thanked
Prateik Babbar and Siddhant Kapoor for organising a special fundraiser for Kerala.
She wrote: "Humanity at its finest, Prateik Babbar and Siddhanth
Kapoor, the men who arranged an amazing event at B in Juhu to bring help
to those in need. You guys are so amazing
