Vedas in the Mountains-Ashok Dilwali

Celebrated photographer Ashok Dilwali’s new book - Vedas: An Essence-- A Picture Book Of Himalayas And Verses From The Vedas - is a pictorial union of Vedic verses and grandeur of the Himalayan ranges. The writer-photographer brings out the essence of the Vedas in nature through his stunning shots of the mountains….

The majestic Himalayas have been the eternal source of inspiration for mystics and sages of ancient India. Many religious tomes---including the Mahabharata---have been written under the shadows of mountains and other reflections of saints have been meticulously documented in the timeless Vedic thoughts.

The Vedas, said to be the oldest surviving literature of the world and a vital link between God and man, are strung together in Sanskrit poetry. Now a new book presents panoramic visuals to complement the mystique of the divine texts. Vedas: An Essence-- A Picture Book Of Himalayas And Verses From The Vedas by Ashok Dilwali is a pictorial marriage of Vedic verses and grandeur of the mountains.

Ashok Dilwali, known more as a photo artist than a photographer has spent the better part of the last 20 years travelling to those nooks and corners of the lofty Himalayas where few have ventured before. A chartered accountant by profession, he is also the owner of one of Delhi’s oldest studios at Connaught Place. But more than anything, he is a celebrated photographer who has excelled himself with the sheer magnificence of his camera art.

Using a 35mm. Hassalblad, a MamiyaRB 67 and a Linhofs for larger formats, Dilwali truly brings out the essence of the Vedas in nature through his captivating photography.

Though it would have been a Herculean task to illustrate the Vedic verses through pictures of mountains and hills, the thrust of the book is evidently to use the shlokas (verses) to highlight the sweep of the landscape and underline the magnificence of the astonishing colours of nature as seen in the Himalayan splendour.

The pictures have a beauty that seem almost surreal. " I have never tried to ‘touch up’ nature," says Dilwali. Working from break of dawn and many times even before that, he has used natural light and long exposures to create haunting colours on film. The cover of the book shows the Nanda Devi peak in the Garhwal Himalayas, resplendent in the early morning light, with an ethereal air.

Awesome Beauty

Ancient Rishis and holy men marvelled at the awesome beauty of the mighty ranges. The verses speak of the 'monumental human spirit that has as high a potential for prayer and meditation as the Himalayan peaks.'

The famous Om Shanti shloka from the Yajurveda has a picture that shows a lone man on a hillock looking at a majestic sweep of the mountains, which appear in varying shades of light through the mists. Another shloka from the Rig Veda, has a picture of the mighty peaks on a moonlit night. The accompanying shloka goes thus…

The dedicated men offer love and respect

To the cosmic divinities,

But remember, offering love alone is not enough,

Constant hard work and diligence

Are essential for success.

Then alone the Lord Supreme

Showers his blessings on them."

For years now Dilwali has been delighting photo-buffs with his yen for outdoor pictures. And when the subject happens to be the Himalayas, his pictures break into a dance. He says, " Whenever I get the urge, I pack my camera kit and head for the hills." An urge that has resulted in books like Pilgrimage In The Garhwal Himalayas, Ganga:Origin and Descent of the River Eternal, Bhagavad Gita: An Essence, and Vedas: An Essence-- A Picture Book Of Himalayas And Verses From The Vedas.

All his books use the beauty of nature to illustrate the truths of the scriptural texts. Vedas : An Essence has verses in Sanskrit, Hindi and English alongside the pictures. The Om shanti shloka, invoking the beauty of nature, has a picture of layers of mountains with a lone man in the foreground tending to his sheep. It lends a unique beauty to the sweep visible in the photographs that almost make them look like paintings. Says Dilwali, " The book is neither pedantic nor lays claim to be a guide to the Vedas. It merely uses the striking visual appeal of nature to highlight the beauty of the verses with pictures of flowing water, sunlight playing on the mountain snow and birds against a surreal background of dark hills."

Commenting on his influences he says, "Ansel Adams, Ernst Haas and Irving Penn have impressed me deeply. But there are no short cuts in photography. It is sheer hard work. Sometimes I have had to wait for weeks in freezing cold to get the right colours of the Himalayan ranges."

With almost ten books, numerous awards and a number of exhibitions in India and abroad, the patience of finding religion in nature shows through in Dilwali's captivating shots.

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