Lord Ganesha

The final image of Lord Ganesha from my series Darshan.



© Manjari Sharma, Lord Ganesha, Darshan

Darshan: Photographic Series on Indian Deities

I would like to Introduce you to my new project. It's called Darshan and I am trying to reach a targeted goal with this series. Please view the video and visit this link if you feel connected to the concept. If you would like to spread the word on it here is a short link http://t.co/wzrcaP6

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/25732686 w=400&h=225]

Darshan from Manjari Sharma on Vimeo.

Off Shore

I wandered into one of the oldest Mumbai fishing village's with my friend Himanshu Joshi who usually knows a lot of off the beaten bath places in and around India. This is because he runs a terrific program called the Wild Holidays. Those of you who love India, I hope you get the chance to to travel with this gem of a man sometime. With years of experience on guiding adventurous expeditions, Himanshu truly knows how the country should be experienced.

So here are some images from a small fishing village that we went to. The fishermen and their families have a great respect for these boats that are built, painted and set ashore for several day long fishing trips. When we arrived there on a crisp Sunday morning, it was a special occasion because a few boats had been freshly completed and the families of the fisherman were holding prayers ceremonies on every completed boat. The scale of these massive boats parked off shore and on the village's land was a quite a sight to remember. Here are some images to accompany the story.

Times of India

I got some noteworthy press in India a little while ago. The article appeared in Crest the Arts and Culture supplement of Times of India. Deepanjana who is a terrific writer on Arts in Mumbai was such a ball to work with. I realized i never posted on the Ishaara about it, so here goes. On another note by the way, the blog has come to be such a digital diary for me really.

If some important news isn't placed on the blog by me soon enough, I feel it finds a way to get lost in my life. I find it relieving once I've blogged about it though because I know it has now transformed to linkable information to be viewed, visited and shared just by one click. I never thought I would associate this much emotional attachment with a blog that I slowly nourish over time but now of course ,,, I'm just rambling.

New Project

Coming Soon

Sunil Sharma, in work mode

This is my father, a.k.a Papa, in his office in the sharp light of 4 pm. Mumbai, India.

The Terrace

The terrace is my mom's favorite place in our flat. I can certainly see why, but not only because I know she loves the space and all her little plants but also because I see it in my own special way; Very differently than her. It has a very peculiar geometry. If you follow this blog then you may have seen this post I made little earlier called Urban Organics which is also similarly reflective of my intrigue in intersecting lines, planes and randomly organized practical tools. The satellite dish antenna and clothes pins interspersed in this space is extremely intriguing to me. An organized yet chaotic scene, just like the entire country is. I love it more than I ever have. If that's even possible.



Pictured below is my mom taking a whiff of her favorite flower the Mogra. It is incredibly fragrant & often strewn into a mini garland and draped around the hair. Pictured in the last image is the potted plant of the mogra that my mom returned the flower to. It's my favorite planted pot on that terrace, covered in heavenly spongy green moss.

A Sharma family morning

My mother, Kiran Sharma and my father Sunil Sharma pictured below have both taken a fairly religious curve on life in the past decade. I set up a couple lights in my flat in Mumbai and decided to capture them in their morning ritual modes. My dad is doing his routine morning prayer in our temple room and my mom is walking through her favorite part of our flat, the terrace.

Mom is holding a brass crucible of water in her hands, she is about to make an offering of that water and say a small chant worshiping the sun god and giving thanks for the gift of sunlight. The freshly awakened younger brother of mine, pictured below my parents is a strapping Mumbai-ker who loves to scour the Bollywood tabloids when getting his early morning news fix. Just a little peek into my world here in Mumbai. Please click on the images to get a better look.