NZPhotographer Issue 13, November 2018

Behind The Shot
With Parmeet Sahni
HI PARMEET, TELL US ABOUT YOUR RECENT TRIP
TO NEPAL WHERE YOU CAPTURED THIS PORTRAIT.
I have a great appreciation for street photography
and as a travel photographer too, I really wanted
to visit a country with a rich culture, vibrant colours,
and spiritual energy. Therefore, I took a five day solo
trip to Nepal in June of this year with my Canon 6D to
celebrate my birthday by doing what I love.
When I was in Nepal, I visited Kathmandu, Bhaktapur,
Nagarkot, and Sankhu Village. Everywhere I went,
I found myself surrounded by a thousand stories, all
of which I tried my best to capture through my lens.
I took well over three to four thousand photos on this
trip, and I was ecstatic to bring them back to share
with my family and friends.
SO WHO IS THE MAN IN THE PHOTO?
This man is a Sadhu; a holy man, sage or ascetic.
I saw this sadhu outside Pashupatinath Temple, which
is located on the banks of Bagmati River about 5km
from Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital city.
When I asked him if I could take a photo of him,
he happily posed for the camera. He talked about
experiences he has had with many other tourists too,
who were also eager to click photos of him as they
walked past.
The sadhus situated around this temple are a
common attraction for tourists from around the world
and are quite famous on social media, I was able to
see faces that I saw in Nepal on Google Images when
I got back home!
WHAT’S THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS POSE?
The pose he is making with his hands is called “Gyan
Mudra” or “Chin Mudra”. A Mudra is a symbolic or
spiritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism.
In Sanskrit, Chin means consciousness and Mudra
means seal or gesture, therefore, the Chin Mudra is
the gesture of consciousness, it symbolises the union of
Self with the universe.
The Gyan Mudra is the hand gesture which is used
during meditation and also while practicing breathing
exercises during Yoga. Along with the Gyan Mudra,
the Sadhu also taught me how to do a few other
mudras and the symbolism behind them.
WHAT WAS HAPPENING BEHIND THE CAMERA
THAT WE CAN’T SEE?
This image was taken right before sunset. At the temple,
the Bagmati Aarti (evening prayer by the riverbank)
was about to start. Behind me, thousands of devotees
were roaming around the temple. I could hear the
prayers from inside Pashupatinath temple, which
created an extremely relaxing and peaceful aura.
The Bagmati Aarti is one of the most mesmerizing
rituals that take place in Nepal. All devotees
collectively pray for all of humanity. This Aarti is famous
all around the world and attracts a huge number of
tourists each day.
SINCE RETURNING HOME TO NZ HOW HAS THIS
IMAGE BEEN RECEIVED?
This was one of my favourite photos that I took on my
trip. When I showed it to people around me, everyone
was struck by all the colour in the image. Many were
intrigued by the way he was dressed, the way he
was posing and the significance of the image. I got
a similar reaction to my other work from Nepal too,
especially from my colleagues, who encouraged me
to display these photos at an exhibition.
I got in touch with the New Zealand Nepalese Association,
and was able to hold two rounds of a fundraising
photographic exhibition named “The Gathering Of Life:
Capturing the Culture & Streets of Nepal” where more
than 200 of my photos were displayed.
The event was free entry but prints were for sale
and we collected donations. The full sum of money
accumulated was for a charity which provides
underprivileged children in Nepal study materials. For
me, the best feeling was seeing around 300 people
from different communities and cultures coming
together to support a noble cause and appreciate
the photos as well as the country.
www.instagram.com/soulfulmemoriesbyps
www.facebook.com/SoulfulMemoriesByParmeetSahni
You can read more about Parmeet and learn about her photography business Soulful Memories as well as her
Gathering Of Life series and exhibition on our blog.
November 2018
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