Stories of Lights Exhibition

I am organising an exhibition of the photographs from my fieldwork on electricity access in rural India. The exhibition starts on the 6^th of January, 2014 and is titled ‘stories of lights’. It presents different forms of lights, lighting instruments and peoples engagements with them. The exhibition will be at the Elvet hill house and will be open to general public. If some of you would like to visit, please do let me know. I would be happy to give a guided tour. The details of the exhibition are in the poster below.

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where's the light?

photographs in field work exhibition

One of my photographs recently was accepted to be the part of an exhibition organised by the Geography Department at Durham University. The exhibition focused on the use of photography in fieldwork. Photographs in my view are an important tool to tell the various stories emerging in the field, especially if one is doing ethnographic work. Since, ethnography involves being, living, spending time and integrating with the community, photographs provide a very good means of recording data, information and experiences. Needless to say, if one is looking at dissemination of one's research, photographs could be one of the most effective means to do so. 

So, I submitted a few photographs out of which one was selected for the final exhibition. Its probably my favorite out of the thousands of photographs that I clicked during my 9 months in the field. There are several good ones (self appreciation) but I think this one takes the cake. I especially love the colors in this photograph, which came out naturally. No manipulation of the composition.

behind the curtains: part 1

In this post and the next one, I am going to reveal some dark secrets of the village life. Just to make it clear, I am not talking metaphorically. These quite literally will be dark secrets. These photographs have been taken in areas which still struggle for modern energy. The only sources of light that these people have are kerosene and torches. In this post the stories consist of photographs in sets of two, one taken as the the eye sees it and the other after turning the flash on the camera on so as to reveal what the eye can't see.

When I visited these villages, the only thing that was obvious and evident was the curtain of darkness that coved them. As far as my eye could see the landscape was pitch black with a few orange lights here and there, lights from kerosene lamps. In some parts I could see streaks of white light moving around. I was told that these were people going about with torches. I had a torch of my own. At places I would turn it on to find my way. But every time I turned my torch on, I saw things that you wouldn't be able to see otherwise. I saw the dark secrets of these villages. What did I see? Let me show you what I saw, one by one, frame by frame.

Darkness under the lamp

I am sitting with a few dalit women talking to them about the status of electricity in their colony. Suddenly I hear voices from the right. I turn my head to look. All, I can see is a kerosene lamp lit in a room at some distance. The voices keep coming from the darkness under the lamp. I am baffled and scared. My guide turns his torch towards the voice. There are people. The people who were invisible to me until now as they are I think to the government. The invisible people of this village. This is when I use the flash on my camera and the whole landscape is revealed.

30 years later

A lone dibiya (kerosene lamp) and books awaits a child 

This story comes from the same village as the last one. For the sake of simplicity and confidentiality lets call it Rangpur. Rangpur lies by a dam, between a national highway and the Ganges. The village has a good mixture of people from all castes. Although, the ratio of forwards and backwards [1] is 50:50, the village proceedings are generally dominated by the forwards.

This story is set in the Dabangpur Chamartoli. Chamartoli is a tola (colony) inhibited by Chamars. Chamars by caste and by profession have traditionally been involved in skinning animals, tanning leather and making shoes and other footwear. However, now they have diversified and also moved on. Most of them, like many other backward castes, now work as daily wagers or agricultural workers. Although very few of them own any agricultural land, several now sustain their livelihoods on agriculture by farming on lands of the landed castes on theeka (rental basis) or bataiya (share cropping). Very few actually deal with leather now. Since, chamars dealt with dead animals and leather, they were considered 'unclean' and 'untouchables' in several parts of the country. If one visits a typical Bihari [2] village one would find separate colonies for different castes, with the dalit [3] colonies typically on the fringes or as satellite colonies outside the village boundary. Their 'unclean' status possibly puts them on the fringes, geographically and socially. Although some mixing and acceptance has come their way, the chamartoli in various villages are still found on the fringes.

Holy Cow

Algu, having dinner in complete darkness

A sleepy village, tucked between a national highway and the Ganges in central Bihar. It is only 7.00pm. I am having dinner under a battery operated lamp. I have just returned from a home tour related to my research. This village was electrified in the 1960s but people still walk around with torches in hand. Those who can afford, eat dinner under battery operated lamps. There is darkness all around. Electricity is like a guest here. It makes short visits. 

Since, it is early, my host offers to take me for another home tour after dinner, an offer I gladly accept. Armed with our torches, we walk through the dark lanes, past the well and past the temple. Finally we reach jaadab toli (Yadav Toli), a neighbourhood inhabited by Yadavs (As par the caste system, Yadavs have traditionally been involved in taking care of cattle and the business of milk). 

My host calls for the person we are looking for. A reply comes from the dark. My host directs his torch towards the sound. The man, Algu Yadav is sitting on a chauki (wooden bed used for sleeping and sitting) with a plate full of rice and lentil. The heap of rice is topped with about 10 red chillies (wonder how he manages his mornings). The usual accessories give him company, a torch and a stick. In the dark dogs and cats are regular scares to the food. The stick needs to be kept by the side in case a dog is tempted. The torch will be used when Algu will need to move about. I find this condition strange and worrying but Algu seems to be at peace with his condition.