Raajadharshini documents the spirit of an Indian community rebuilding after flooding

Many great photographers have confessed to being a witness long before they picked up a camera. From bustling metropolitans to rural villages, the drive to document is in their milieu. And, in Raajadharshini’s case, it’s all about the people.

The Tamil-born, London-based image maker captures ceremony and custom with equal forte; fusing fashion, documentary and portraiture to explore narratives of visibility and representation. “What empowers my work is the strong sense of vibrant colours and energy that reflect my cultural background, as well as capturing a variety of raw emotions within real people and real communities,” they tells us. Her series The Sun Came Up does exactly that, by documenting the people of the Chadong Village in Manipur, India, as they rebuild their community.

The project traces their physical and cultural rebuilding after their village was submerged due to a mega dam project that started in 2014, seeing them move to Kamjong Village, some 80 miles away. “From their newly constructed tin roofs to the new roads still unpaved, there are many symbols of their collective efforts and slow-paced life within their tight-knit community,” Raajadharshini says. There is a wide variety of styles captured, in front of landscapes that give us an enhanced view of their devotion to each other and their new surroundings. In one of the images, a man in a grey suit and cattleman-style hat is seen looking out into the mountains and reflecting on a large simmering body of water. He appears serene and secure, with Raajadharshini emphasising their spirit as something that goes beyond location.

For Raajadharshini, her visual approach is the outcome of the residents’ accepting nature. “I had a bowl cut and micro bangs, and my friend was bald, which is not conventional in India at all”, they tells us. “They addressed us as sisters and let us into their homes – we slept 10 to a room”. A bulk of the photos include the documentation of a friend’s wedding, but she pushed herself to carry her camera everywhere. “I asked people how they want to be photographed. I took photos of their everyday experiences and got a real chance to get to know them,” they adds. This is evident in an image of a young woman gradually becoming more comfortable with Raajadharshini’s lens, growing from wary to trustful as her face goes from covered to eventually revealing her smile.

Essentially, The Sun Came Up is a colourful documentation showing us that opportunities for stillness and celebration can be found even in the midst of adversity. “The images range from contemplative to joyful in what I like to call a ‘portrayal of their duality',” she says. She hopes the project will stir reflection on the fast-paced and sometimes relentless demands of modern daily life, which work against sustainability and our connection to nature. Not all of us can look out at such a beautiful body of water or say our community is so tight, but Raajadharshini seeks to promote it as an equally valid way of life – against the western norm, against the grain and for the people.