Copyright © NID
The image above is a Google Earth view of the Sabarmati Riverfront over a period of 20 years. Since the 11th century, the Sabarmati River has been integral to the lives of the people here. Since that time, it has been a provider of water and the transport of people and goods in the region. This project seeks to impress upon residents and policy makers, in the State of Gujarat, the vital importance the river still holds today for many people – for people at the river’s shores and on its surface, as opposed to those who wish to look down upon a poetic view from high-rise windows. The further civilization gets from the land and the water – the source of life and food on our planet, the more important projects like this one become to remind us of the cycles of life that are critical for all of us to survive.
The MurthyNAYAK Foundation (MNF) is sponsoring the “Sabarmati River Project” by Photography Design student Raj Kumar Maurya, led by Rajesh Vora. Rishi Singhal is Student Project Guide; Amarnath Praful is Student Project Co-Guide, and Dr. Sara Ahmed is Project Advisor. The project will research and create a digitized visual archive of the Sabarmati River since the mid 20th century using NID archives, Ahmedabad’s professional photo studios, and other local sources. While delving into the river’s past, and its significance to the city, the goal is to reveal truths that might press pause on “the unbridled urbanization and concretization in the name of the development.” The final outcome can result in an exhibition as well as a publication.
Copyright © 2021, PhotoSouthAsia. All Rights Reserved.
20 November
