Photography is a contemporary art discipline but it lifts and carries the profuse cultural heritage of India quite effortlessly. The commonality that it shares with art and architecture is how the echoes of the past, the lived history of people are punctuated and accentuated with dots and commas. They aid in telling the stories of those who lived an emotionally richer life, who have left an imprint in time that speaks volumes of their intellect and skill.
Working in stillness, alongside silence, bringing the fulfilling lives of the past visually alive into the contemporary drawing rooms is Amit Pasricha, a third generation photographer. Celebrated among the top ten panoramists in the world, Amit’s published works include ‘The Monumental India’, ‘The Sacred India’ and ‘India at Home’.
The personal
Amit’s father, Avinash Pasricha is a name to reckon in the classical music and dance disciplines, who has photographed at least three generations of India’s leading performing artistes. Amit fondly reminisces his early days in Hanuman Road, New Delhi. “Growing up, my brother and I never had a separate room of our own. In fact, our beds would stack up and the drawing room would convert to a studio space where renowned artistes have frequented. As early as ten, I used to assist pa in the studio setting the lights, holding the reflectors. So, I never looked for a career option, I always knew I wanted to be a photographer.”
When he turned 12, he got a camera of his own, but it soon dawned on him that it came with some overheads. Before the digital age, pictures captured were imprinted on a 35mm wide film strip. Typically each roll would only hold between 24 and 36 exposures.
“I quickly realised that if I had to shoot the birds, bees and sports that I liked and wanted, then I had to shoot one or two pictures that I could sell, which would take care of the cost of buying the next film roll. So, I’d shoot pictures of my friends to make some quick bucks.” This exercise made him a popular boy and gave him enough visibility to get into the school and college editorial.
The intimate
On completing his college, although Amit had applied for courses in LA and Chicago to study photography, he was intuitive and ahead of his age to also decide against leaving India. “The formal education would have been good, but I questioned myself if a structured programme would actually sustain my thirst to discover myself on my own. I didn’t want my admiration for anyone to limit me from finding my own language. My biggest fear was becoming a clone of what I would admire,” he shares.
Adding to the lessons he was gaining from observing from his living space, Amit then taught himself by studying from the works of professionals like Raghubir Singh and Raghu Rai.
Today, Amit is a school on his own. His creations are like a classical symphony in which the light and shade are playful, conversational, and evocative. Peering into them will hold the mind still, murmuring, whispering and singing songs of yon and beyond, keeping any audience engaged for long hours. Talking about finding his own language, he says, “I feel appreciation begins with curiosity and is much needed for being any artiste. I wait for the appreciation to become a thirst. The thirst then moves me to the next phase where I want to know it and experience it completely.”
But an art is not without its conflicts. “The art of seeing requires a certain level of dispassion. I try hard to uncondition my mind from judging or even analysing. Having said that, often, I have also found that it is easier to come out with pictures that mirror a certain sentiment already pre-existent or prevalent. In those times, what I try to do is break the cliches of the mind that cloud me from seeing the unseen. This is also why I try not to approach the monument with a theme, especially in the want of being inventive or inclusive. In this way, I found how not to colour my ‘seeing’ with delusions cast by my own mind,” he explains.
Amit also shares how he would ideally like to walk into a space with a certain state of mind. In those times when that was not possible, he would draw inspiration from music. “Music is my muse! My way of using music is again unusual. In my observation, I find a lot of people listening to stillness when there is stillness in the space; but I would use contradictions. For instance, I would draw moods from the genre of pathos and juxtaposition it on a serene landscape. In doing that, I’ve found a way to break away from being repetitive and monotonous,” he shares.
Such elevating thoughts and standards for capturing a form in space is perhaps why his pictures are so intense. His photographs not only essays his thirst and taste of having experienced something new, but they also nudges and intrigues a viewer to look closer and learn more about the monument. Other lessons that can be drawn from Amit’s ‘art of seeing’ is that everyone of us needs to be observant of their own inner landscapes, especially to avoid the colouring while forming perceptions. Can we wear his lens of ‘seeing’ for engaging not just with heritage monuments but in real-life, with people in work and home spaces too?
The social
Amit’s photography of India’s cultural heritage is available on India Lost & Found (ILF). Using the most powerful tools of the digital era — photography and social media — this initiative is designed to draw attention, inspire conversation and create awareness by engaging and mobilising the youth. Through a knowledge network of ILF experts, interpreting the monuments both from the tangible as well as intangible viewpoints, Amit is shaping the perception of India’s youth, and thereby redefining India’s History.