Gosaikunda

When I planned the trek to Gosaikunda, I had not imagined how this trek would become a personal milestone. It was during the second wave of the pandemic when I had started planning the trek. My aim was to attend a yearly shaman festival that takes place at the sacred lake on the full moon night of Shravan month. It wasn’t certain whether the festival will take place given the uncertainties imposed by the pandemic but I decided to trek regardless since trekking itself was permitted.

The 3-day trek was a rewarding experience on its own and so was photographing it. Photographing the trek and rituals using a camera equipped with a fixed 23mm prime lens was a challenge that turned out to be a blessing. The camera, bought just before the Covid-19 emergency was declared a pandemic, was put to its intended use for the first time.

Out of the resulting images present in the collection below, 30 were compiled into a project titled GOSAIKUNDA which became my first solo exhibition exactly a year later.