Frozen in silence

​Ace photographer Amit Mehra captured the silent metaphors of the valley and is showcasing the Kashmir kaleidoscope in his ongoing exhibition in Hyderabad

Kashmir may be a paradox to many – a land of picturesque beauty endowed abundantly by nature true to the saying “If there was a paradise on earth, this is it, this it” on the one hand, and a land embroiled in turmoil for more than two decades. Whatever it may be, it is still a photographer’s delight.

Amit Mehra, who has been a photographer for many decades, made about 25 trips to Kashmir in a span of six years (2006-2012) to shoot what he says is “a cursed paradise”. The results of his numerous trips fructified in a book ‘Kashmir’ as well as an exhibition, which has been travelling to different parts of the country and the world ever since it was first held in 2012. This exhibition opened in Hyderabad on March 26 at the Kalakriti Art Gallery.

Mehra captures the innate beauty of the State through his lens and it is not merely a rosy view of the State. Mehra also gives us glimpses of the harsh, stressful times the locals live in given the chaotic conditions there. The pictures are telling in that sense – of the times, of the people and of the place. The colour tone is sombre and uniform in most of the photos. Mehra also shows the syncretic tradition of Kashmir in some of the photographs. Metaphors are strong – vividly present to explain the situation albeit in a subtle yet forceful way.

A lot of the pictures are shot in winter. The landscapes are white, stark and covered with snow and depict either a tree(s) or a building. They are ethereal, yet frozen in time and there is an eerie silence in them. In most of the works, there is a barrier-like feel – an impediment, which comes in between them and the viewer. Perhaps this is the result of alienation – a term which Mehra says applies to the “times” and the “people”.

The buildings also figure predominantly. Even though they are almost picture postcard like, there is an inbuilt silence and pathos in them. They stand as silent sentinels and mute spectators to the ravages of time – like the graveyards. The show also includes pictures of inhabitants of the Valley. The people are not mere onlookers – they are absorbed or immersed in activities.

A sense of spirituality pervades through some photos especially the one where light streams through a narrow window into the hands held up in prayer as though the wishes of the “devout” were answered.The conflict is clear from pictures of guns, barbed wires, fences and here too metaphors come into play.

Death, grim silence, prayers are all intrinsically part of a war-torn milieu. Each of such photos speaks such silent yet eloquent words. Mehra has photographed reality through his lens – one which is beautiful yet unpleasant, but one that forces lakhs of people in the Valley to battle through life to survive. He has shown through his photos how silence too is powerful as it conveys a lot.