Glorious glimpses into rural Rajpur

A young Australian photographer captures vivid village images in an exhibition aimed at raising money for its inhabitants

She says she is more comfortable living in the village than even in Indian cities, where she often gets hassled by people being a foreigner.

BY PREETI KANNAN

From the aroma of spices to the village belle to lush mustard fields, the sights, smells and colours of India have all been captured and recreated in Dominique Travers’ modest photography show in Surry Hills. True to its name, a real cow and some hay were part of the props of the opening day of Walk the cow – A journey into the heart of village India, on June 16. Whilst the cow may have made its way back to its owner, the half-eaten hay contrasted by brightly-coloured spices and spotless white-washed walls remains.

Dominique’s first exhibition is replete with photographs taken in a village called Rajpur in Uttar Pradesh, which she now calls home. Strangely, the 24-year-old, who happily traded her Bachelors in Fine Arts in UNSW for a life of spirituality, rusticity and simplicity, feels closer to Rajpur and its inhabitants than she does with Sydneysiders.

“I travelled to India for the first time when I was 19 to study Yoga in Rishikesh, which was then voted the No. 1 place to ‘find yourself’. Later I travelled to Rajpur and realised that everything I was ever looking for was in this village. In India there is a push for technology now and life is constantly changing so much. But people in this village are so content and they have so much to teach us. This village, for me, is like going back to tradition, going back to the gods of the earth,” she told Indian Link

Dominique’s documentary photographs – 25 of which are on sale at the gallery, reflect the strong connection she has with the village and villagers. Portraits of vegetable vendors, fields, children, cows, goats, the forest landscape, harvesting and village streets – everything reflects the way Dominique views life in the village, the community and the people through the lens of her camera.

“I see everything through the lens of my camera and I think that is the best way to express myself,” says Dominique, who has mastered Indian cooking, yoga and even Hindi.

“When you sit around people who do not speak English, you learn the language naturally,” she quips.

So how did her family react when she decided to discontinue formal education to live in a village?

“They have been extremely supportive. They see how happy I am. There is, of course, a lot of emphasis on formal education and even a Bachelors degree is just not enough. However, I am a student of life and I have taught myself. My education is mostly through my own experiences,” she says.

Besides showcasing her talent, the exhibition has other purposes – to raise awareness and raise money. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the exhibition will be donated to the Yatharth Yog Ashram (Community of Natural Unity) Foundation in Rajpur, where Dominique is a Yoga teacher. The three-year-old ashram is run by an Indian acquaintance and a Belgian friend, whom she met while travelling in India. The ashram, which teaches yoga, ayurveda, cooking, organic farming, besides other things natural, runs on donations. People, who learn about it mostly through word of mouth, come and live in the ashram to learn and experience different things.

“We want Westerners to come so they can benefit and experience what I have seen. Our stronger message is living natural and living in rhythm with nature. Visitors can work in the organic fields and gardens, teach children of the neighbouring villages, prepare food for guests and visitors and build clay huts. Being so close to the food you eat is sort of spirituality. I see god in food and find it harder to see it in McDonalds,” she says.

The ashram has different programmes and is run free of charge. It instead, welcomes donations for its different projects, which includes helping villagers build a bio-gas plant to create their own electricity, as well as educating them about organic farming. Dominique hopes that they can build a school for the community in the future. The exhibition is also trying to raise awareness about the community, the ashram and the projects they are trying to implement. “What we are doing is something small and is at the grassroots level. We want to keep the village life intact, and this ashram and the projects are a bit of a labour of love,” she says.

Walk the Cow was inspired by a 700 km walk with the cow, which Dominique was planning to undertake during her recent trip to India. Unfortunately the cow, which had been presented to her by an Indian friend, became ill and died before they started the journey to bring it to Uttar Pradesh. The exhibition runs till June 27.

Dominique Travers Walk the Cow: A journey into the heart of village India MILS Gallery, 15 Randle St, Surry Hills NSW 2010 www.milsgallery.com

Gallery hours Wed-Fri 5.30-7.00pm, Sat-Sun 12 noon-4pm

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