A Quiet Moment of Grace

A seven-year journey of sustained practice culminating in recognition through a UNESCO publication.

For seven years, this dream lived quietly inside me — through uncertainty, self-doubt, unanswered prayers, and the choice to continue even when nothing was certain. I kept walking, often unsure of the destination, but holding faith in the act of seeing, waiting, and believing.

Today, that long journey has found a moment of grace.

My photograph “Morning Saga”, from my ongoing project Varanasi: Celebration of Life and Death, has been selected for a prestigious UNESCO publication: Silk Roads Papers, 3rd Edition, part of the UNESCO Silk Roads Programme.

This isn’t just another book. It is a cornerstone of UNESCO’s global effort to preserve and reimagine the enduring legacy of the ancient Silk Roads—timeless routes of exchange that connected cultures, ideas, and lives across continents. Curated with care, the publication brings together scholarly research and powerful visual narratives, revealing how rituals, spirituality, labour, and everyday life continue to keep those historic connections alive. To have my work included here feels like stepping into a global dialogue on shared human history, heritage, and continuity—at the highest level.

For me, this milestone runs deeper than recognition.

“Morning Saga” captures the essence of Varanasi—the sacred city where life and death exist not in opposition, but in harmony. Through this long-term project, I immersed myself in the ghats, witnessing how death here is not an end, but a passage—shaped by faith, tireless labour, flickering flames, flowing waters, and quiet devotion. This frame is not merely an image; it is distilled from years of observation, patience, humility, and surrender to the city’s eternal rhythm.

This achievement did not arrive suddenly.

Along the way, the project received quiet affirmations from institutions that strengthened my belief in the work—The Royal Photographic Society, The Royal Overseas League, and the Hamburg Portfolio Review. Each moment felt like a gentle reassurance amid uncertainty, responsibility, and the weight of everyday survival.

There were seasons of profound self-doubt—questioning my path, my voice, and even my right to call myself a photographer. Balancing work, family, financial realities, and exhaustion while holding on to storytelling tested everything. Many days offered no clarity—only persistence, patience, and a fragile but enduring faith.

Today, I don’t call this success.

I call it divine timing—quiet, patient, and deeply human.

I am profoundly grateful to UNESCO and the Silk Roads Programme for this honour—for their vision in bridging ancient legacies with contemporary voices, and for choosing “Morning Saga” to be part of this vital global narrative of cultural exchange and human resilience.

My deepest gratitude also goes to the people of Varanasi, who opened their world to me with trust; to every hardship that shaped my vision; and to the unseen force that carried me through the darkest stretches.

This is not an ending.
It is a quiet affirmation that the path I chose was worth walking.

Before closing, I wish to pause and honour a few souls who believed in me when I struggled to believe in myself—this moment carries their faith within it.

With heartfelt gratitude: Ajay Jagnath Vishwakarma, Shrobona Mukherjee, Batsceba Hardy, and Ashok Verma.

Thank you for being there when no one else was, for believing when belief felt impossible, and for holding space for this dream through its quietest, hardest years.