Materials about to be used for renovation lie scattered in the corridor of an apartment in Bangalore, India. Artworks and the Indian flag remain from the Independence Day celebrations that the corridor was used for in August. In the haze of the lockdown, I remember reading that creatives were considered amongst the least essential services in India. Most people agreed, despite finding comfort in movies, music or anything creative over the course of 2020. To me, this image is about such ironies. Ironies such as leaving materials outside to clean one’s home. Or celebrating Independence on one day, and yet supporting regressive laws that revoke citizenship, communications and protection. Of allowing drawings of trees, animals and leaves to wither on walls. I think recognizing these superficialities will allow us to strongly reconsider what it is that we call home. Perhaps then we can begin to understand how to make it better, and not merely beautiful.
Kamesh Bharadwaj is a documentary photographer and film-maker based in Bangalore, India. His interests lie in photographing cultures, environments and their various intersections. He hopes that such documentation can contribute to meaningful discourse around climate change.
