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the-south-asian.com April 2004 |
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April 2004 Wildlife
Paragpur
- India's 1st
Corporate Talk
Books Lehngas - a limited collection Books Between
Heaven and Hell
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POSTCARDS FROM BHUTAN by Avinash Kalla
She discovered her photographic skills in Bhutan. On a vacation to that country Serena Chopra put her camera to good use. Her recent exhibition of pictures of Bhutan vowed art lovers. And her reason for the B&W images is simple…" It’s such a colourful country that you can only capture its beauty in B&W…"
"When nature speaks, when
light plays on innocent smiles, when time covers all you see with a filter
of joy the shutter clicks and cracks open a heart forever."
Like Muzzafar Ali a number of eminent people have found her work both elevating and inspiring. That’s because for Serena Chopra, Bhutan was truly a cosmic experience that touched her soul. "On the first day when I walked on the pebbled streets I pinched myself to make sure I was really awake and not in some dreamland." What Serena discovered was a place that has not changed in centuries. The pristine glory of its hills and an amazing variety of climates and ecosystems all went to make her visit to this Land of Thunder Dragon a lifetime's experience. And on this exotic vacation she put her camera to good use. The results have been stunning and her recent exhibition of pictures of Bhutan vowed art lovers in the capital. Her reason for the B&W pictures is simple. " It’s such a colourful country that you can only capture its beauty in B&W," says Serena who is also authoring a book on Bhutan. Being published by Full Circle the book is all about the lesser-known facets of this ‘exceptionally colourful and beautiful’ country as Serena puts it. " With this book I am aiming at binging the values and culture that are a way of life of the Bhutanese people." It was instant love when Serena visited Bhutan for the first time three years ago. What struck her were not merely the natural landscapes and the monasteries but the way people actually made the Buddhist preachings a way of life. "The gentleness and compassion is something that is beyond the scope of words. The Bhutanese respect life and never harm anyone because they believe God is omnipresent. In these modern times you only hear of people who are at such peace with themselves. You seldom see them," gushes Serena, a first time photographer and author. Black & White Images The work on the book is still on and she isn’t sure of how many pictures she’ll be displaying in it. " There could be around 200-300 photographs, but what I am sure is that all will be Black and White. These Black & White images appropriately put forward my images and perspective of Bhutan. They would have been lost if I had taken colour pictures." The 51-year-old wife of a Delhi doctor travelled the length and breadth of Bhutan and had the rare privilege of visiting the hallowed nunneries and an even rarer privilege of being allowed to click pictures of the sacred rituals conducted in these holy places. " I was lucky to get a special permission to visit a nunnery and attend their sacred prayers that are offered on the ninth day of every month. It is an awesome experience to see these nuns with their heads shaved standing in a row absolutely still chanting prayers to Lord Buddha.Each picture tells a story." Serena is particularly proud of the pictures that depict the daily life of Bhutanese who she says are very fun loving and happy. " Their innocence simplicity and warmth is all-pervasive. It touches you in many ways" says Serena. She fondly remembers the time when she was attending a village festival and an elderly villager started staring at her and gesticulating wildly. When she asked her guide what he was saying, he said that the old man was proposing marriage to her with all the gracefulness he could summon. " I thanked him profusely but said I could not accept his offer as I was already married." The old man was overjoyed when she suggested that he consider her his daughter! Such incidents in the book give a rare insight of a place that has been shrouded in mystery and closed to the outside world for centuries. And despite the fact the kingdom opened its portals to tourism in 1974 it hasn't been touched by commercialisation. " Most inhabitants are blissfully unaware of the world outside Bhutan and are happy doing their own thing. Let the world come and meet us, seems to be their motto," says Serena who at places also stayed in crude tents to get a real feel of the place. She says her visit to Bhutan has been a spiritually uplifting experience and like the locals she too has learnt to lead a more meaningful existence that is dominated by a positive karma which she wants to spread to all those who touch her life. The commitment to pursue her dream is evident from the fact that she has closed down her flourishing export patchwork business. " Two decades of deadlines was a taxing task, After the Bhutan experience I knew I could not handle these pressures any more. I have discovered my metier in life. Photography is now my all-consuming passion," says the graduate from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. And it is plaudits from masters that motivate her. Look at what ace photographer Raghu Rai had to say after seeing her pictures. " Your images have spontaneous warmth and an uncanny feeling of spirituality rising from the mountain landscapes of Bhutan." Or for that matter the ambassador of Bhutan who said, " You have captured the true essence of our country and our people with skill and sensitivity." To which he could add, " Serena has become one with Bhutan!’ ***** |
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