KAMMAN & DHADDA

In Gujarat, western India, Uttarayan Festival is the yearly celebration of the winter solstice and the beginning of the harvest season. 

For decades, Gujarati people honor Uttarayan by flying kites, called "patang", hand-made with paper and lightweight bamboo. The festival is a rare occasion in which people of different faiths come together to celebrate communally. 

In India, religious codes regulate behavior, govern the ways of living, and shape the way that Indian people present and dress, yet, within these restrictions can be found myriad personal styles. Sikh men in vibrant turbans mirror the colors of thousands of kites dotting the sky, while Muslim children in white monochrome echo the simplicity of the Indian kite’s form, and Hindu women abound in bright colors and body-conscious silhouettes. 

This series was created in 2020 after the photographer spent months with local communities across western India, a visual odyssey turned into an intimate anthropological observation, combining the disparate elements of Indian social society to create a cohesive vision of diversity and shared heritage. As the title "Kamman & Dhadda" suggests, the "cross spar" and "spine" together form the integral body of a community.