Natural beauty of Kashmir valley has been overshadowed by counter-insurgency, army presence and protests for long. Life in the valley is full of fear, tear and uncertainty. Despite all these odds, people in Indian Kashmir have been struggling for normalcy in their daily life which appears quite far for several reasons. Indian photo journalist Shome Basu tries to frame the glimpses of this struggle in his camera which becomes his book 'Shades Of Kashmir.' Published in June this year, the book contains 176 black and white photographs of Kashmir valley where ordinary people's life is in focus.  Â
Working on Kashmir is not an easy task as the region is highly conflict-prone. Local people, especially the Muslims, have every reason to look at anyone from other part of India suspiciously. It becomes more risky as security forces, i.e. police and Indian Army, also suspect other Indians and try to find link with militants or separatists. Shome Basu has to take all these risks in his several journeys to Kashmir for doing the photography.
Basu first visited Kashmir in 2000 with an assignment as a photo journalist of India Today magazine. Since then he has visited the troubled valley on several occasions. Thus his photographs reflect a decade-long scenario.  Â
"My book is first of its kind and it is also a kind of reportage work that I worked for 10 years," said Shome Basu while talking to this writer. "Lots of books on different aspects of Kashmir have been published and all are texts. My book is a presentation of photos of Kashmiri people whose lives are going through both uncertainties and vibrancies."
In fact, Kashmir is a tragedy with a complex dimension. A large number of Kashmiri people especially Muslims want freedom be it kind of autonomy or an independent state. Infiltration of militancy from the other side of the border, Pakistan, as categorically pointed out by India, in the name of supporting the 'freedom movement' makes the situation more complex and the life in valley more vulnerable. Counter-insurgency measures and forceful operations to combat militants and separatists make the situation worse. Thus, more than 60 years have passed since the independence of India and Pakistan but crisis over Kashmir doesn't reduce. Rather it is escalated with more sorrows and tears and less laughter of Kashmiri people. The 'Shades Of Kashmir' becomes an apparently motionless but vivid documentation of sorrows, tears and laughter which need little description.   Â
Shome Basu, who now lives in New Delhi, has ancestral link with Bangladesh. His father along with their families left Bikrampur after East Bengal turned into part of Pakistan as East Pakistan. His family is a direct witness and sufferer of the tragedy of partition. His mother, who used to live in Park Circus area of Kolkata, is also a witness of pre-independence riot known as 'great Calcutta killing.' Such a family background plays a role on growing with an anti-communal mindset. His works, thus, prioritise human face of anything.
Basu designed the book in four thematically parts - Landscape, Daily Life, People and Protest. Every photo has its own story in the book.
Â
Â
Â