Two things happened to commercial director Sunhil Sippy as he neared his 40s. First, was the realisation of being disconnected from his home city, Bombay—because of the nature of his work, he spent more time inside studios, leaving him little room to engage with the outdoors—which led him to return to street photography. And then, an accident, while shooting on the Yamuna Expressway outside Delhi, where he lost a part of his left foot. This was on April 27, 2012. A couple of surgeries later, including an emergency one to avoid amputation, Sippy had a new, reconstructed heel. But he had to learn to walk all over again, “like a toddler, with careful support”. “As I walked, I healed. And as I healed, I walked,” shares Sippy. “When I started walking, I became more aware of the universe around me. In a city like Bombay, you can build a wall of comfort around you, and not see anything if you want to. But, one of the most important changes that happened [after the accident] was the hunger to experience life in a different way. I wanted to know where I am,” he adds, in a telephonic interview.

Sunhil Sippy