Photographer Trupal Pandya’s Stellar Vision of The Himalayan Tribe

Born and brought up in Gujarat, Trupal Pandya is a professional photographer who is based between Washington DC and New York.

As a photographer, mastering a photography technique can turn tables. Learning an intricate photography technique can open up new possibilities, provide endless potential for inspiration, and can even help you get out of a creative rut.

Trupal Pandya’s photography is a stellar example of vivid representation. Through his photography he touches upon the culture, traditions and practices of people living around.

Trupal Pandya - Gujarat Literature Festival

Trupal’s work has been in the publications like CNN, Huffington Post, and National Geographic Magazine Indonesia. He has also been on an assignment with the United Nations to Iraq to photograph the refugee camps.

He has participated in the prestigious Eddie Adams Workshop, and interned with Magnum photographer Steve McCurry, well known for his iconic photograph ‘Afghan Girl’.

Shedding light on how Trupal documents the people and objects will amaze anyone’s eye. His observation of people living miles away from civilization has contributed to his photography. It has also paved way in making him a force to be reckoned with.

He uses stark white backdrops that places his subjects at the center of focus, shorn from their natural settings. He travels place to place and interacts with tribals of that place to get a sense of their culture, habits and clothing.

Centering our focus on the Himalayan region, Trupal Pandya has even documented the lives of Brokpas, which happens to be an ancient tribe of the Himalayas. Trupal’s cutting edge photography in this series seems to stand out in all parlance.

His documentation speaks in detail about the lives of Brokpas. The pictures do the talking.

Pandya describes a selection of his photos in detail.

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Brokpas practice Buddhism, and believe in a cycle of death and rebirth called samsara. Through karma and eventual enlightenment, they hope to escape samsara and achieve nirvana, an end to suffering. Via: Trupal Pandya (http://www.trupalpandya.com/)
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The Brokpas have different headdresses for different occasions. On a normal day, the tribe will adorn a single flower. In this picture, he is wearing a flower from the Chinese Lantern plant, which is a resilient species found in the region VIA- Trupal Pandya (http://www.trupalpandya.com/)
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The Brokpas live in the villages of Dha, Hanu, Darchik, and Garkon. VIA- Trupal Pandya (http://www.trupalpandya.com/)
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They believe the special ribbons they wear ward off minor illnesses caused by the sun or an eclipse. The coins also have a medical property. They believe the reaction caused by the metal coming in contact with the skin and sweat, helps them medically. VIA: Trupal Pandya (http://www.trupalpandya.com/)
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The accessories they wear are mostly metal jewellery that they believe ward off evil spirits and keep them safe. Via: Trupal Pandya (http://www.trupalpandya.com/)

Having elucidated his craft on the Brokpas, Pandya has also documented the Huaorani Community of the Amazon Rainforest, Nagaland’s last surviving Headhunters, the Aghoris, and the tribes of Omo Valley in Ethiopia.

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