Photos: Shadows on the silk. My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

gloriakurnik — Tue, 4 Jun 2013 02:59:00 GMT

I started traveling after my graduation and I haven't stopped ever since. I'm a nomad and I'm a storyteller. In the middle of all the beauty of the landscapes I wander off to, I always want to hear stories of the inhabitants. I believe that deep inside we all share the same needs and emotions and if we only choose to look past our differences, we'll be able to understand the foreign and see a friend in a stranger. I want my work, whether it's a video, writing or a photo essay, to help people find those little similarities that make us all relate to each other. I started with a dream of going to Asia and got a job in India. That is where my adventure with the photography started and that's what inspires me even 4 years later. If I try and distill all the numerous reasons why I'd like to win this internship into a single one it would be that I want to learn how to be better at what I love - telling stories. And the opportunity to meet Jason, to be mentored by someone with his knowledge and experience is a great way to improve on that. To be equipped with the ability to critically look at my work and learn how to assess my own mistakes is what I hope to achieve during this internship.

My Scholarship entry - Seeing the world through other eyes

gloriakurnik — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:24:24 GMT

Crowds, endless din & fanfare make a perfect blend with the motionless sweetness of temple incense. Clammy masses carrying all sorts of emotions charge with a strength of a battering ram. Thickening smoke bites the eyes & irritates the lungs while the sweat is dripping down the festive yellow dhoti. A human being surrendered to the act of thanksgiving to his beloved lord, immersed in trust & devotion. Hands put together in prayer; steady breathing of a person who has found peace in chaos & stillness in motion.

A protective turmeric root strapped to the wrist is dangling in the rhythm of thunderous drums. The whole world freezes as warm air bursts through the lungs liberating itself in an unearthly squeal. Here comes the trance. An enigmatic energy that flowing through the muscle makes it durable & flowing through the skin makes it numb to pain.

While being blessed with this half-conscious state is the most formidable task of the intricate pilgrimage of Thaipusam, its very purpose is yet to come. The bunch of fishing hooks is already sharpened & tied to the lemons, all 108 pieces to commemorate the sacred number 9. The back is precisely purified with turmeric powder & the skin stretched to the extreme. The blade cuts into flesh like a scalpel stopping only at the bone. This unskilled stab causes minor discomfort, the next one,competently measured,stops seamlessly.

There’s no pain nor fear as all 108 hooks penetrate the tissue. Not a drop of blood is shed, only beads of sweat bedew the forehead. Awareness comes in short waves of weakness, as a 48-day fast has stealthily exhausted the body. But the residing energy grimly holds the ground while a 30-kilogram offering burden is being fixed to the shoulders. The same supreme power enables the pilgrim to complete his journey.

Once the hooks are detached & the trance is gone the happiness triumphs over sorrow. Because what in the eyes of a passerby is just a sheer madness, in the heart of a devotee is the purest love.

As told by a Visual Storyteller

Photos: Shadows on the silk. My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

My Scholarship entry - Seeing the world through other eyes