<p>A sparkling star, a walking shroud, and the messenger, walk along with you, in your mind as you step out of ‘I am a seed of the tree’, a photography exhibition put up in India International Centre, Annexe, recently. <br /><br /></p>.<p>It’s the buoyancy of a spinster that jumps out at you in the frame ‘A sparkling star’; the element of shock that strikes you in a human form inadvertently made out of a folded bed sheet at a burial ground in ‘A walking shroud’; and the unambiguous reference to a man called messenger, that stay with you, leaving an indelible impression in your mind. <br /><br />Speaking about the character that fascinated Metrolife the most, Bindi Sheth, the documentary photographer says, “Not just in sparkling star, Flora also features in Yom Kippur-2 as well. When you shoot extensively, there are certain characters that catch your eye. Sitting in a wedding, and later in the festivities in a synagogue around Yom Kippur, the spinster grabbed my attention.” Undoubtedly, her character lights up the frame making you go for a quick second glance at these pictures.<br /><br /> “The messenger is yet another interesting frame as the man captured in the frame happens to be called by that name, even though the practice of being a messenger in a synagogue outdated long ago owing to the advent of technology,” adds Bindi.<br />Leaving the frames succinctly titled, the duo leaves a lot to the imagination of a viewer, especially the ones ignorant about the Bene Israeli Jews lifestyle. The pictures were documented for three long years around weddings, festivals and funerals of the community. <br /><br />The photographer who was equally a stranger to this community shares, “Being new to an atmosphere tends to make you notice things with a fresh perspective as your visual senses are at their peak, specially with a camera in your hand.” Elaborating over the frame, ‘Three Jews, Four opinions’, she shares, “Esther thought this frame precisely pictures the quintessential Bene Israeli Jews. She told me, they discuss a lot and when this frame came through, she acknowledged, that’s exactly how they are.”<br /><br />“I am a seed of the tree…” is an exhibition on the life cycle and rituals of Bene Israel Jews of Ahmedabad. The Bene Israel Jewish community has been living in India for two thousand years. In Hebrew, Bene Israel means children of Israel. Coming from Israel after the fall of King Solomon’s second temple in 70 BC, they reached India after a ship wreck in Alibaug, near Mumbai. <br /><br />They kept their Biblical names, but added names of their villages to surnames. Bene Israel Jews believe; India is their motherland, as it is the only country in the world, where they have never faced persecution. <br /><br />To depict how this mini-microscopic Jewish community preserves its cultural identity in a vast multi-dimensional country like India, Bindi Sheth’s photographs accompanied with Esther David’s text put forth a comprehensive visual treat. Documented over the last three years in Ahmedabad, these pictures will form a part of David’s forthcoming book titled “I am a seed of <br />the Tree.”<br /></p>
<p>A sparkling star, a walking shroud, and the messenger, walk along with you, in your mind as you step out of ‘I am a seed of the tree’, a photography exhibition put up in India International Centre, Annexe, recently. <br /><br /></p>.<p>It’s the buoyancy of a spinster that jumps out at you in the frame ‘A sparkling star’; the element of shock that strikes you in a human form inadvertently made out of a folded bed sheet at a burial ground in ‘A walking shroud’; and the unambiguous reference to a man called messenger, that stay with you, leaving an indelible impression in your mind. <br /><br />Speaking about the character that fascinated Metrolife the most, Bindi Sheth, the documentary photographer says, “Not just in sparkling star, Flora also features in Yom Kippur-2 as well. When you shoot extensively, there are certain characters that catch your eye. Sitting in a wedding, and later in the festivities in a synagogue around Yom Kippur, the spinster grabbed my attention.” Undoubtedly, her character lights up the frame making you go for a quick second glance at these pictures.<br /><br /> “The messenger is yet another interesting frame as the man captured in the frame happens to be called by that name, even though the practice of being a messenger in a synagogue outdated long ago owing to the advent of technology,” adds Bindi.<br />Leaving the frames succinctly titled, the duo leaves a lot to the imagination of a viewer, especially the ones ignorant about the Bene Israeli Jews lifestyle. The pictures were documented for three long years around weddings, festivals and funerals of the community. <br /><br />The photographer who was equally a stranger to this community shares, “Being new to an atmosphere tends to make you notice things with a fresh perspective as your visual senses are at their peak, specially with a camera in your hand.” Elaborating over the frame, ‘Three Jews, Four opinions’, she shares, “Esther thought this frame precisely pictures the quintessential Bene Israeli Jews. She told me, they discuss a lot and when this frame came through, she acknowledged, that’s exactly how they are.”<br /><br />“I am a seed of the tree…” is an exhibition on the life cycle and rituals of Bene Israel Jews of Ahmedabad. The Bene Israel Jewish community has been living in India for two thousand years. In Hebrew, Bene Israel means children of Israel. Coming from Israel after the fall of King Solomon’s second temple in 70 BC, they reached India after a ship wreck in Alibaug, near Mumbai. <br /><br />They kept their Biblical names, but added names of their villages to surnames. Bene Israel Jews believe; India is their motherland, as it is the only country in the world, where they have never faced persecution. <br /><br />To depict how this mini-microscopic Jewish community preserves its cultural identity in a vast multi-dimensional country like India, Bindi Sheth’s photographs accompanied with Esther David’s text put forth a comprehensive visual treat. Documented over the last three years in Ahmedabad, these pictures will form a part of David’s forthcoming book titled “I am a seed of <br />the Tree.”<br /></p>
