An image depicting peaceful coexistence amidst religious diversity has won the top honours in Indian Link’s Independence Day photography contest for 2022.
A photograph of careful preservation of India’s ancient heritage took second place.
Winners Ritesh Ghosh and Amish Jain take home prizes valued at $200 and $150 respectively.
Indian Link’s annual photo contest at this time of the year, called #myIndianlink, seeks submissions of images from photographers that display their link to, or a feel of, India. Entrants use the #myIndianlink hashtag to post their photographs on social media.
This year’s winner Ritesh Ghosh clicked his photograph in Kolkata.
“It’s an image very close to my heart,” he told Indian Link. “The wall art depicts the Hindu Goddess Kali and Jesus Christ, the Messiah or Saviour for Christians all over the world. The Muslim person walking through the frame completes my vision of the religious and cultural diversity of India. It’s my way of reminding us all that we are all Indians first, above all religion.”
Ritesh took this photograph for a personal project on the graffiti wall art culture in Kolkata.
“I’ve visited this particular spot a few times, but on this occasion it was sheer luck to have observed the Muslim man approaching – it was totally candid.”
His wonderful visual storytelling through this beautiful image, captured the judges’ vote unanimously.
Amish Jain’s photo was taken in Udaipur, Rajasthan at a location quite popular with photography enthusiasts.
“The spot, called Pachetiya Hill, is famous for its impeccable view of the mighty Mehrangarh Fort which overlooks the city,” Amish described to Indian Link. “It is also a fantastic sunset point, and its high altitude is a great vantage point to view the entire city.”
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His particular perspective in the photograph depicts the ancient heritage of India as well as efforts to safeguard it for future generations.
“The image shows how joint efforts by citizens and government can do wonders to a place,” Amish observed. “The beautiful murals of Rajasthani art and culture along the sides of the path have increased the beauty of the place manyfold. Overall, the pic captures the Rajasthani vibe of art, culture and history – which is what I ventured out to record.”
The two images made it to the top of a shortlist of 16, culled from 106 entries this year.
The Indian flag, fondly called Tiranga (Tricolour), featured prominently this time round, taking off no doubt from the Indian Government’s #HarGharTiranga initiative. It turned up at a variety of places in our contest – at the MCG; in the sky as a boxed kite; in the freezing water at a Sydney beach; on the wheelchair of a physically challenged athlete.
Colour and celebration were other recurring themes – judges scrolled through many Holi snapshots.
Religion and spirituality were also high on our photographers’ minds, perhaps after two years of a worldwide health crisis and changed living conditions. Night lights at the Golden Temple, prayers at the mosque, the famed Ganga aarti at dusk, and Jain temple architecture also made the cut.
Snapshots of kids were plentiful too, the high energy and unbridled joy in them making pleasant works of art.
Here are some of the stunning entries for #myIndianLink 2022:
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