A photographic exhibition titled ‘Hear Me, O Himalaya!’, which is based on a series by DU graduate Vaibhav Kaul, was inaugurated on Thursday at the India Habitat Centre. The exhibition is a fundraiser for the Saheli Trust, a non-profit organization working in Uttarakhand to help women, adolescents and children.
“I studied Geography in graduation, so my work takes me to the Himalayas. I study glacial lakes and disaster management in the mountains. This photo series covers the entire range, from Ladakh to Sikkim,” Vaibhav Kaul told The Hindu.
This exhibition is a sequel to ‘Reverberations from the Himalayas’, a landscape series released by the artist in 2013 that combined “the geological expressions as well as spiritual reverberations of the world’s mightiest mountains”.
Talking about his rapport with the uplands, the geographer said: “I have been trekking in the Himalayas from a very early age as my family was fond of the mountains. I did a mountaineering course at ABVIMAS in Manali as an undergraduate. I always wanted to go into this profession.”
Trekking in the Himalayas is known not only for the scenery, but also for the climatic and topographical dangers that come with it. “If you are taking a risk in the mountains, it should be calculated. I used to talk to a lot of local people to know about the ranges. I travelled alone and the weather was rough more often than not. But I was lucky with the mountains, I felt like they protected me,” said Mr. Kaul. The Delhi-based artist now plans to do a series on the geographical resemblance between the Alps and the Himalayas. “An international series like that could promote both Swiss and Indian tourism,” he said.
The exhibits shall be on display till September 27.
( The writer is an intern with The Hindu )
