Sufi on a roll

What's buried in a Dervesh's heart comes on print with photog Ashok Kochchar's first solo exhibition, 'The Journey of A Mystic' that opens tomorrow

The notion of following a life of conformity has been drilled into our head, to such an extent thatu00a0 most of us live a programmed life. But then some choose to play by their own rules. "A Sufi would live next door for months and you wouldn't come to know because he's busy in his own world, and doesn't need your 'attention'. I've lived that life and my exhibition is an expression of that part of my being," says the Delhi-based lensman who started as a painter and worked as an engineer before plunging into freelance photography in 1988. Here's a curtain raiser to the show.



Sufi so good
When you come across exhibitions and artists like this, the first question that pops up is, why does a man who once flaunted an engineering profile and also runs a furniture and interior-designing venture would be suddenly smitten by the ideas of a solitary life and discoveries of inner self? "Photographers keep searching for subjects outside, and they find it too. Even I've done it. But since religion intrigues me, I thought why couldn't I look for subjects within me? That's when I thought of Sufism, which is highly conceptualised around inner forces of life. I want to end my life as a photographer so I keep coming back to the lens," quips the artist who will soon come out with two more exhibitions, one on Lord Krishna and another on a book called 'Dhamma'. "My work for both the exhibitions are ready but I can't give you a reason as to why I decided to exhibit, 'Journey of a Mystic' first," adds Kochchar.

Behind the shoot
Shot with a 39-mega-pixel camera using two colour temperatures, the showcased series has 30 images, all conceptualised over a period of three to four years. "We often slip into a trance like state where physical presence is irrelevant and it's just the mind that travels through thoughts," says the photographer. However, Kochchar has an interesting story to share about the shoot, "The guy who has posed for me is Victor. I had briefed him about the idea when we first met. On the day of the shoot, Victor reached my studio on time but with severe diarrhea. I thought he would request me to cancel the shoot but he didn't. I hugged him for five minutes and he was ready. No retakes, no cribbing, just pure work," signs off the artist.u00a0

Journey of a Mystic
At: Shridharan Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, 205, Tansen Marg
Timings: 11 am to 7 pm