Documenting The Street: A Personal Photography Project

After spending 10 beautiful years in Ahmedabad, finally, I feel that the city has accepted me and vice versa. The city of Ahmedabad amazes me. On one hand, it is growing and urbanising at breakneck speed. On the other, it preserves its centuries-old culture, traditions, and heritage so wonderfully. It is no surprise that is is named as a World Heritage City by the UNESCO and India's first heritage city! Proud moment for us 'Amdavadis'.

Being a working mother, getting time solely for yourself is something of a rarity. This may sound like an exaggeration, but my fellow mothers know what I'm talking about. This makes all the more harder for a solo trip enthusiast like myself! However, determination and a strong will can move mountains.

One fine day, I found myself walking through the narrow lanes of old Ahmedabad, asking directions, to strangers standing besides cracked walls and houses dating back many decades, to get to French Haveli - a recently restored 150-year-old heritage home.

          

French Haveli is situated in one of the ‘pols’ - gated communities existing since medieval times. These pols consist of residential structures three storeys-tall, with intricate carvings superimposed on their splendid exteriors, their architecture is intelligent and thoughtful. The central courtyard allows plenty of sunlight to enter the home yet keeps the rooms and corners cool under the blazing Gujarat sun. Heritage houses in the pols have entrances that open to a beautiful courtyard looking up at the sky.

On Saturday morning, I took the Heritage Walk tour through the Old City visiting temples, mosques, Jain derasars, tombs of kings and queens, a secret passageway, a dead poet’s home, multicoloured bird feeders, charming old homes, a famous alley lined up with bookshops, tea stalls, lemonade carts, and other captivating sights and sounds. The next day was spent mingling in the vibrant ‘Ravivari Bazaar’ (Sunday Bazaar) also known as ‘Gujri Bazaar’ (gujri meaning used or second hand).

The Ravivari Bazaar can easily be described as a chaotic mosaic of people, objects and experiences, that enrapture the viewer. Both sides of the winding street that stretch to the banks of the river Sabarmati walk us through a multicoloured tapestry richly woven with sights, sounds, smells, people and objects.

A kaleidoscope of colours tantalizes the senses by means of odd wares ranging from screwdrivers and tacks to antiques such as dialup telephones in red and black, glistening golden gramophones, abandoned typewriters, silver kettles, radios and polaroid cameras. As I walk on, I pass by vibrant displays of dry fruits, sherbet (lemonade), ice lollies, candy floss, sweetmeats, pickled tamarind, pan (betel leaf) and much more that add to this colour burst.

But the hallmark of this cultural sojourn were the the people whose warmth and authenticity struck a chord with my heart. I had the privilege to sit down with them, request them to pose for me and chat them up, and they happily obliged.

On display were scenes that tantalise the senses as they experience the wholesome, rugged, earthy, raw, authentic, dark, sweaty, real beauty of the one big human family. In the midst of all this chaos emerged unexpected warmth, curiosity, human emotions, connections and bonds. A sense of community, close-knit, committed to making the Gujri Market happen and continuing it decade after decade.

I captured these images with one objective in mind:

The street offers a myriad of elements that are important to document and make visible. They deserve to be valued for the incredible vibrancy and colour they contribute to the cultural landscape and social fabric. The aesthetic of the regular and the ordinary people on the street is natural, effortless and thus, fascinating. The people and their environment, the street, are unique, earthy and authentic. I scooted through the length and breadth of the 'Raviwari Market' or Sunday bazaar - a chaotic mosaic of people, scents, objects, community and drama. The market is a decades-old tradition that remains alive, thriving and constantly evolving - a very ecosystem in itself.