When we think about the borderlands of India, what images come to our minds? The snowy mountains, the white clouds hovering in the clear blue skies, right? However, what we often miss to ponder about is the many lives of the people who reside in these beautiful regions, often marred by conflicts- geographic, ethnic, and economic. The lives of these people living literally on the edge see a constant tussle between soldiers and civilians, regional identity and nationhood, and a perpetual sense of uncertainty. However, what keeps them going is a shared sense of humanity drawn over these arbitrary lines of divide.
Recently we came across the works of Chandan Savio Gomes titled “Borders”, exploring the lives at the margins. In the quiet, often overlooked border regions of India, where life unfolds against a backdrop of tension and uncertainty, Chandan finds his muse. A filmmaker, photographer, and educator hailing from Delhi, Chandan brings his lens of humanity to capture the lives of those living on the edge—both geographically and existentially.
India is a country where the culture, dialect, and taste buds change every few kilometres. Chandan through his project seeks to spark conversations about the nature of borders and the shared humanity that transcends them.
1. And when the mountains echoed, the whisper of humanity was heard.
2. Like the pillar in the middle, some forces may try to divide us by distorting our words, but they can’t divide our sense of being ‘Proud Indians’.
3. No borders can stop birds, rivers, and gusts of wind.
INDIA BHUTAN BORDER
4. Fighting boredom on the border.
5. When lines blurred, hearts flourished.
6. No matter where you go, or what people you meet, the love for momo is constant.
7. Sometimes, you have to take the middle road.
8. One game to unite them all.
9. We can learn a thing or two from the trees, like bonding through the network of our roots.
10. The place is called a pedestrian terminal, but does the road ever terminate for the explorers?
L.O.C, KERAN & GUREZ VALLEY, J&K
11. A long walk.
11. The layers of rock tell a tale, that mortals go, stories prevail.
12. On the left, the protector of our freedom, on the right, the essence of freedom.
13. That’s what borders often do to people, skew their view of this beautiful world.
INDIA – BANGLADESH BORDER: SOHRA, MEGHALAYA
14. A trickle in time.
15. Isn’t it funny that the function of wires is primarily to connect, but how they have been manipulated to divide?
16. I have become wave, the destroyer of walls.
17. To cross the borders is just a matter of a step, yet lightyears away.
18. Tea is best served ‘hut’.
19. Separated by borders, united by the umbrella of humanity.
20. Borders make us wonder, what lies beyond?
INDIA NEPAL BORDER: KAKARBHITTA BORDER CROSSING
21. Mother’s lap, beyond the clouds.
22. On the path to enlightenment.
L.O.C, NUBRA VALLEY, LADAKH
23. Made foes with time and death to remain amongst friends.
24. Stealing a frame in time and conflict, to be frozen for eternity.
25. Conflict: Through the looking glass.
These photos tell so many stories!