Rautes in London

February 6, 2013 , by DREAMS, Leave your thoughts

In his latest exhibition in London, Kishor K. Sharma displayed  a collection of photos depicting the everyday life of the Rautes, a nomad ethnic group in Nepal. We find out more about the man behind the images. 

Photo: Keshav Maharjan

In July, the Guardian Gallery at King’s Place, London, hosted a photo exhibition challenging the perceptions of the developing world.

With a motive to provide an insight on the culture, lifestyle and the environment of developing countries, the exhibition titled “Insider, Outsider?” showcased photos by local photographers from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

Nepali photographer Kishor K. Sharma was one of the featured photographers at the exhibition.

Sharma’s collection “Living in the Mist: The Last Nomads of Nepal” reflects the lifestyle of the Rautes, a nomad ethnic group in Nepal.

His 14 black and white photographs are a mix of portraits and daily life of the Raute community.

Predominantly living in the mid-western and far-western region of the country Rautes represent a minority of the Nepal’s population. According to the Nepal Population Report 2011, there are only 658 Rautes living in Nepal.

Sharma traveled to Salyan in mid-west Nepal and spent two weeks with the Rautes for his project.

A self-taught freelance photographer, the 29-year-old likes capturing social and community issues in his photographs.

Currently pursuing his postgraduate degree in mass communications in Kathmandu. Sharma has exhibited his work in Nepal, Bangladesh and at the Angkor Wat Photo Festival in Cambodia.

Sharma was also nominated for the prestigious Joop Swart Master class, organised by the World Press Photo, in 2010 and 2012.

DREAM’s in-house photographer Keshav Maharjan caught up with the upcoming photographer. Here are the excerpts.

DREAMS: How do you get rid of creative blocks?

Sharma: It’s an interesting question. I think it happens to everyone.

I’m a self-taught photographer and have learned a lot from workshops and individual photographers.

There are times when I find difficult to start a project or to continue my project. But I keep thinking about my projects even if I’m not shooting. It’s difficult to get rid of; there is no easy escape. I think one has to go through it to create something. So you have to keep working on it.

Do you fear of anything before you start working on a big project—for instance, fear of people rejecting your work despite putting your immense effort?

Though I usually don’t fear of people rejecting my work, there are things I fear of. Although I do experiment and try to do different kind of work, my main focus is on telling stories of people.

As a photographer, I have to enter into people’s life and personal spaces. It is challenging and there is a sense of responsibility too. There are chances that people might ‘misread’ your pictures or chances of misrepresentation without knowing. I don’t think I can change the world or lives of people I photograph, but I try my best to be honest with people and also with my approach.

Was there any point in your career when your plans weren’t going accordingly? Did it make you frustrated or think of quitting photography and opting for something more lucrative?

I don’t think I’m in that stage of my career to look back and say that. I’m still trying to learn and struggling to make my work meaningful, as well as making a living through photography.

It’s difficult to survive as a freelance photographer in a country like ours. There is lack of professionalism, but things are changing. And I’m sure will be better in coming days. There are certain things that make me frustrated, but I enjoy telling stories through pictures, no matter what. I’m sure you will get rewarded if and when your work deserves it.