Shubh Aur Sundar - India

     Shubh Aur Sundar* is an examination of the beautiful and the spiritual as encountered in my four months studying in India. Many associations come to mind when the country of India is mentioned. Beautiful and spiritual may seem stereotypical but both are true. In terms of aesthetic beauty India is a photographer’s dream. To those who are spiritually inclined they have much from which to choose. Four spiritual practices have their origins in India, two of which are considered major world religions. What captivated me was the extent to which this beauty and spirituality is infused into everything. And I mean everything! It ranged from the blatant, over 100,000 temples representing several religions patterned with ornate and detailed, to the subtle, small hand made good luck charms hung anywhere deemed worthy of blessings. These subtleties were my main interest. Looking past the traditionally beautiful or the obviously spiritual I began to understand how crucial these were to the culture. The question became how does a country with so many current issues pressing on the hot button of modernity reconcile its craftsmanship and religious tradition in the 21st century? What room is there for artisans and sadhus in the coming years?

*Shubh means auspicious in Hindi. An uncommon word in America, in India it’s used daily, often for greeting. Instead of “Good Morning” it’s “Auspicious Morning”, “Shubh Ratrii” instead of good night. Sundar in its simplest translation means beautiful. But really sundar is more likened to an exclamation, such as wow, amazing, fantastic, etc.