Here, There and Everywhere

I grew up studying and doing what was considered conventional in India. But I'd often wonder where I belonged? Did belonging mean a place, a person, a professional path or something else? I decided to take the plunge at the age of 28 and move to America in 2022 to pursue photography. Moving out of my family home for the first time brought along advice from all corners - some known, some unknown. Something I commonly heard was that I would feel lonely. Starting a life from scratch, I did miss the comfort of home, my proximity to loved ones and ever so often I would feel the imposter syndrome within this new professional journey; but I was surprised to find that I didn't necessarily feel lonely. That strengthened my internal voice that pondered upon belongingness and made me want to investigate it, which was the impetus to this photo project.

I have often developed new perspectives by talking to others and photography has always been a channel to do so. This photographic process began by connecting with people from various walks of life in a physical place of their choosing; somewhere they felt a sense of belonging or grounding. I would meet them there and we would talk. I started off by asking them to write their response to my three questions - ‘What is your relationship to Belonging?’,  ‘When do you feel the most Seen?’  And, ‘When do you feel the most Vulnerable?’. I then photographed them as we spoke about their responses.

Words speak volumes and every face tells a story, however something that drew my attention was the gestures each one of my subjects made with their hands as we touched upon something so personal. Initiating this dialogue with my subjects brought along a variety of emotions, multitude of questions and made me realize belonging is not a solitary or linear concept. It dawned upon me that while everyone had a unique perspective, it resonated with me as a collective voice that culminated into that collective essay of everyones writing put together.

While there was a camera pointed towards my subjects as they let their guards down and spoke about sensitive topics, something I noticed was it did not make them conscious or awkward and that is where I realized I belonged. To be able to feel, share and connect with others while finding myself. I belong to myself. I belong to the world. I belong ‘Here, There and Everywhere…’