Mountain trade
An exhibition starting Friday in the Capital traces the flow of goods and ideas in the Himalayas
A black and white image of the Nathu La mountain pass, which connects Sikkim with Tibet, stands out in a series taken by Deb Mukharji in 1959. While the snow-covered peaks and arched pathways are common to images of the Himalayas, what is striking about this photograph is the absence of securitymen.
“At that time also the pass served as an important trade route between the people of the two countries; however, there were no strict restrictions to enter or exit either of the nations," says Mukharji, a former diplomat and author of the books Kailash And Manasarovar: A Quest Beyond The Himalaya and The Magic Of Nepal. “In the past, the Himalayas did not divide and segregate. They provided avenues for connectivity and interdependence and the people were not strangers to each other," he says.
The exhibition is the second in a four-part series by IIC, The Himalaya: A Timeless Quest, that focuses on the region through the prism of its geography, culture, myths, religion and people. The first exhibition in the series—Geographies: Physical And Sacred—was held in July.
Bhattacharya-Haesner will be displaying text, maps and photographs on the interactions between Kashmir, Ladakh and Khotan (China). “Records and cultural remains establish that such hazardous geographical formations (as the Himalayas) could not bar people from political, commercial and cultural movements and having close contacts with the neighbouring countries between the third century and the 11th century," says Bhattacharya-Haesner. She will be displaying 20 images taken during her visits to museums in Xinjiang, Central Asia, and the National Museum, New Delhi, in 2012. “The text, however, is based on my independent research and my experiences of visiting these areas," she says.
One of the maps documents how Kashmir served as a “gateway" for the spread of Buddhism in Central Asia, as well as a channel for interaction between East and West, and Khotan on the southern Silk Route. On 23 December, Bhattacharya-Haesner will also deliver a lecture on the “Intimate Artistic Links Between The Art Of Ladakh And Central Asia With Special Reference To Alchi and Khotan Respectively".
For the show, Kak has also curated pictures of the woodcarvers of Kumaon by Nainital-based photographer Anup Sah, and has written about painter Nicholas Roerich’s Central Asian expedition in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as his photographs and paintings. “With the rise of nation states and colonial and post- colonial security concerns, the Himalayas are seen increasingly as a barrier," says Kak. But this exhibition, she says, puts the spotlight on people who integrated various regions in the great mountains.
Monks, Traders And Travellers will be held from 19-30 December, 11am-7pm, at the Art Gallery, Kamaladevi Complex, India International Centre,40, Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi. Click here for details.
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