10 February,2010 08:59 AM IST | | Ishita Sharma
A nun in Spiti Valley spent half her life alone in the Himalayas. Photographer Idris Ahmed captures her calm so that you can benefit, too
Picture a 93-year-old, alone and slouching, and still much more at peace than you are. And picture others whose stories are far removed yet equally stirring. Delhi-based biker-photog Idris Ahmed plays storyteller with his lens in his latest series, Daughter of the Sea.
Solitary reaper: A proud, cheerful woman, Dolma admires her
generous barley harvest. She treated the photog to hot salted tea and yak butter
It is named so since his subjects are settled in Spiti Valley, which, they say, rose from the sea. Forget the tough terrain and adrenalin rush for once, and immerse yourself in the warmth of the local communities.
The 35-year-old rode all the way to do a photographic diary, spread over three years of his expeditions.
"I'm not focussing on sceneries, but on the lives of people who live in and around the 15 villages of Spiti.
They're so amicable that they bring you closer to humanity as a whole. And they're very down to earth, which is even more heartwarming. Little things, like children walking miles to reach school everyday, or the vast wilderness of the snow-capped mountains catch your attention.
If the place was not 'worth it', why would a nun spend 39 years of her life living alone, meditating, and cutting herself off, completely, only to find unseconded bliss in the end?" There are 37 works on display, all shot in black and white. And yet fabulously coloured.
Daughter of the Sea
Last day today
Where: Galerie Roman Roland
Alliance Franu00e7aise de Delhi, Lodhi Estate
Timings: 11 am to 8 pm
