A trip to Leh turned out to be a nightmare for Mumbai-based documentary filmmaker Pankaj Trivedi, who will exhibit photographs of the natural disaster in the city on August 14 to raise funds for victims.
A trip to Leh turned out to be a nightmare for Mumbai-based documentary filmmaker Pankaj Trivedi, who will exhibit photographs of the natural disaster in the city on August 14 to raise funds for victims.
"It was one of the most tragic experiences of my life.
I will have the images of mud-covered bodies and broken houses running through my mind for days," said Trivedi, who will be showcasing an untitled short film and photographs of the Leh flood in this event.
Unaware of what was in store for him, Trivedi landed in Leh a day before the cloudburst struck. For the past one year, Trivedi had been travelling across different parts of Himalayas to shoot his personal documentary on the hills.
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Destruction in Leh after the cloudburst on August 6. |
"I went to the spot wanting to take some long shots. But once I reached there, I almost forgot my camera and started helping the rescue team in unearthing the bodies."
While Trivedi was wondering how to help the victims, he stumbled upon
www.getoffurass.com, a city based website, that organises bike trips to Leh and sells travel gears.
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A common friend helped him to contact this company, and together they decided to hold an event to collect funds for the victims.u00a0
"Such events will help to a great extent. It is different when you hear about a disaster but only when you see it, you understand its magnitude. So a photography exhibition should help," said Trivedi.
The week-long exhibition will be held at No 1 Shanthi Road, a city art gallery, to inspire Bangaloreans to buy the photographs, the prices of which are not yet fixed.
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The exhibition would also travel to Mumbai and Delhi in the forthcoming months.
For further details of the exhibition and to contribute , you can log on to
Sandhya@getoffurass.com or callu00a0
+91 99161 92000.
Similar ExperienceNot only Trivedi but many who went to Leh to witness the sheer beauty of the region came back with a sad heart and a wish to help the victims.
Lohith Chengappa, the creative director of LOWE Lintas, who went on a trip to Leh along with 12 other trekkers narrated how they were all stuck in the guest house for three consecutive days, with bare minimum food, no electricity and no means to communicate.
"It was a shocking experience as we never thought that only a drizzle can flood a beautiful place like this. The next day when we walked out we realised the disastrous nature had struck.
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I would really want to help the victims and such exhibitions are encouraging," he said.