Debmalya Ray Choudhuri Photographs His Search For Home In India

After a prolonged period of sickness, the trauma of losing a close friend, and the psychological toll of escalating violence and chaos in his hometown, Kolkata, Choudhuri travelled to Rishikesh; a city on the Ganges River in northern India. Rishikesh is a spiritual city widely considered the yoga and meditation capital of the world, where “broken hearts, lost “I started reacting to every detail of life and nature around me. I am there, distant from the reality of a past” souls, and dreamers alike” all relocate to. The series title takes is drawn from the Sanskrit phrase “Tat Tvan Asi”, meaning “that you are” in English—which Choudhuri explains “essentially connects us to a sense of being, a sense of the self, of who we are”. It relates to Choudhuri’s search for identity and belonging, and the importance of questioning the concept of home. “What exactly is Home?”, the photographer asked. “Can any place far away from where I live define my ‘home’?” Choudhuri’s expression of vulnerability is powerful, and reflected in his beautiful and poignant photographs. After six months in Rishikesh, Choudhuri began to see the light. “I started reacting to every detail of life and nature around me. I am there, distant from the reality of a past. I am there, all by myself in a world of my own. My Home.”