Chronicle of a Disappearance

Ponds used to enjoy a higher significance in everyday lives of neighbourhoods in Kerala. They were flourishing eco-systems serving all life forms. They played various roles in agriculture, household chores, socializing, giving landmarks to their localities, and featured in local mythology too. Though initially life had prospered around these ponds, human ambition seemed to take a heavy toll on them. Most often they got filled to house concrete jungles, while many fell prey to garbage disposal, ecological imbalance, water misuse and negligence, all of which have turned them lifeless – one by one. I tried to capture the surviving ponds of the region. Each of them was at a different point of their life cycle. Some were on the path of revival, thanks to the efforts of local people, mostly women. Nevertheless, all of them – in unison – portray what was, what could have been, and what has been lost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibited at RMIT Gallery, Melbourne, 2017 & India Habitat Center, Delhi, 2016 (30 Images)