“Pind” is the Punjabi word for “village”, and the Punjab is an area divided between India and Pakistan. The word “Punjab” means the land of five waters to signify the five rivers that run through it.
PIND: Portrait of a Village in Rural Punjab is a self-published debut photobook, a labour of love, with photographs drawn from three extended visits to North-West Punjab, India. The book enable the world, for the first time, to see life in rural Punjab. Its 192 pages contain 139 photos shot using 35mm photography film.
An intimate documentary of the author’s ancestral village of Bir Kalan, the book captures everyday life, taking the viewer close to the people and to the area, showing how people live, work, socialise, learn and go about their daily rituals.
“My own journey started over thirty years ago,” the author explains. “Growing up, I’ve regularly visited my mother’s pind which has allowed me to build a closer and deeper connection to life there. Witnessing changes over the last three decades, I realised how much Punjabi habits have informed my own existence back in England. Everything from the food we eat, the music we listen to, and how we speak the Punjabi language. Understanding life on both sides of the spectrum has helped me develop a balanced perspective which I hope comes out in the photos I’ve captured”.
These photos are a historical document of the changing landscape of Punjab, the changing culture of rural life, and of a moment in history.
The author has dedicated the book “to the Punjabi community and our ancestors” but the book is really for anyone seeking to connect with their roots.
Many people growing up outside India might not have been as fortunate as the author has been, to have had the experience of life in India’s villages.
The book is available for £35 via https://www.hark1karan.com
