Pictures and words

On a recent exploration in a village in Kutch for a project, I came across an old house with the surname of the owner carved over its main door. What was interesting was the name of the Artisan who built the house was carved above the name of the owners. This is the respect that was given to the building artisans. The person showing us around mentioned that the artisan who built the house was his great grand uncle.

A fellow door lover, Ricky Gui's work 'Singapore Hidden Door' is very inspiring. What is amazing is that it captures whooping 600 doors hidden in the backyards, alleys and forgotten corners of the country. I remember when 'The Doors of Kathmandu' got Published on Archdaily, the first link in the suggestions was the 'Singapore Hidden Door' series. "Behind every 'Hidden Door' lurks possibility of past tales of childhood, romance and history." writes Ricky on his Blogpost . This sentence captures the beauty of his work perfectly. It's appreciable how he worked for one year to complete the series. Check out his entire blog here. This series reminded me of my own adventures in the bylanes of Chinatown and Little India in Singapore. That was my first international trip and it was wonderful exploring a new country. Adding a few photos below.

I met three old men for an assignment today. They have a very special skill which has almost died. They say,  that there are only 4 or 5 Paggis are left in  Kachchh  today. Paggis are men who identify the footprints of People and animals and get information about them. They help people, police and even army in investigating the foot traces of terrorists, thieves, lost cattle etc. I went to their village with Naeven Bhai, the driver of Sehjeevan who knew them well. This meeting was one of the best one since a long time. I had only a few hours to cover their story and come out with a photo essay. With a lot of curiosity, I bombarded them with many questions. A crux of what came out is below: They belong to the Sodha community of Sindh, Pakistan. In 1971, during the India Pakistan war, they crossed the border and took refuge in India, in Kachchh. They were eventually given special 'Paggi certificates' by the police and also once invited by the po...

My interview with Swasti Gautam on the Doors of Kathmandu project, for Republica, Nepal. A must read for the people who are interested in the project! "Nipun came to Nepal from Delhi, India, to work on a post earthquake reconstruction project. An architect by profession, Prabhakar quickly became  fascinated by the various styles of doors he saw in Kathmandu. “I started taking pictures of the doo rs in and around my workplace from my phone,” says Prabhakar. “These unique doors reflected the culture of Kathmandu and it was also pleasing to simply look at them,” he adds. Prabhakar says that most of the capital cities in Asia have a great western influence. “Even back in Delhi, I have noticed that architectural designs are not traditional anymore,” he says adding that Kathmandu felt different. The ancient architecture was still distinctly visible in the public as well as private domain. Having a background in photojournalism, Prabhaker eventually created a professional photo serie...

It was a sudden surprise, the water mill. I had never seen one before. Water mills have been in existence since a long long time. They use the flowing water to grind the grains using two stone sills. In most of the places, it's a community driven system. The community builds it and maintains it. In return, the users keep some amount of flour as a contribution. According to  Nepal times , 'There are an estimated 30,000 water mills all over Nepal, traditionally used in villages to grind grain.'  Today, a master artisan, Malaram ji was with us. He had rebuilt a similar community driven water mill once in Uttrakhand, India. He showed us how this worked. Believe me, it was awesome! I wish to study more about it now. The water is channelised through a small canal. The flow is controlled by a small check-dam. As soon as the flow becomes sufficient to rotate the turbine below the stone sill, it needs a small push and the mill starts! check out the v...

The most versatile piece in a building, [the door] has been a mode of expression [for] ages. The door in apartments and modern societies is just a mode of a transition from outside to inside. In traditional cities and neighborhoods, like that of Kathmandu, it’s much more than that. It’s the place where people spend most of their time. Sitting at the Chaukhat, socializing and chatting. The door is not just a tangible unit, it’s the respect you give to your building. Below are the photos I clicked during my site visits and explorations in and around Kathmandu, Nepal. The collection will keep on updating.  Update: A wonderful poem by my ex-professor, mentor and friend, Saurabh Tewari द्वार नहीं हैं ये बस लकड़ी के। सदियों से चल रही संस्कृति के। बस रंग नहीं हैं, अभिकल्प नहीं हैं, प्रमाण हैं ये नेपाल की हस्ती के।  नेपाल के दरवाज़े देखिए, निपुण प्रभाकर की आँखो से। There is a tradition of offering prayers at the door every morning. The two red dot...