!Hear!Me,!O!Himalaya!!A!photographic!homage!to!the!world’s!mightiest!mountains!!24$27!September!2015!Convention!Foyer,!India!Habitat!Centre,!New!Delhi!!!!

!!!About!the!cause!

!This!photographic!exhibition!opens!with!the!release!of!Hear!Me,!O!Himalaya!,!a!limited!edition!fundraising!series!for!the!Saheli!Trust,!a!non$profit!organisation!working!in!the!Himalayan!state!of!Uttarakhand!to!improve!the!lives!of!distressed,!abused,!abandoned,!and!vulnerable!women,!adolescents,!and!children.!!!Fifty!percent!of!any!sale!proceeds!will!go!the!Saheli!Trust.!Any!profit!that!still!remains!after! all! expenses!have!been!paid!will! go! to! the! artist's! own! field! research!project! on!reducing!disaster! risk! and! supporting! community! adaptation! to! extremes! in! changing!Himalayan! environments.! The!project,! titled! ‘Understanding! and! enhancing! the!adaptation!and!resilience!of!remote!high>mountain!communities! to!hydrometeorological!

extremes! and! related! geophysical! hazards! in! a! changing! climate’,!is! supported! by! the!University!of!Sheffield,!UK,!and!the!Dudley!Stamp!Memorial!Award!(Royal!Geographical!Society!with!the!Institute!of!British!Geographers).!!

!

About!the!artist!

!Vaibhav!Kaul! is! a!young!Himalayan!geographer,!mountaineer,!photographer,!painter,!poet,! and! singer.! He! read! Geography! at! the! University! of! Delhi! and! Environmental!Change!and!Management!as!a!Felix!Scholar!at!the!University!of!Oxford.!!He!is!currently!a!Vice!Chancellor's!Indian!Scholar!at!the!University!of!Sheffield!and!a!Fellow!of!the!Royal!Geographical! Society! and! the! Royal! Asiatic! Society.! While! living! and! working! in! the!Himalayas! of! Ladakh,! Lahaul,! Garhwal,! Kumaon,! Nepal,! and! Sikkim,! Vaibhav! has!photographed!hundreds!of!extraordinary!landscapes,!each!of!which!tells!an!enchanting!story.! His! work! has! previously! been! seen! at! the! India! International! Centre! (‘The!Himalaya:!A!Timeless!Quest’,!2014)!and!the!India!Habitat!Centre!(‘Reverberations!from!the!Himalaya’,!2013)!in!New!Delhi,!and!on!web$based!knowledge!platforms!such!as!the!People’s! Archive! of! Rural! India! (‘Women! and! their! Many! Worlds’,! 2015)! and! the!American!Geophysical!Union!Blogosphere!(‘Kedarnath!Debris!Flow!Disaster’,!2013).!!! !

Exhibits!

Code! Caption! Print!size!(inches)!!

Price!!(INR)!!

A01! Nature’s!Palette!!Yunan!Valley,!Zangskar!Basin!(4,350!m)!Ladakh!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A02! Sculpted!by!the!Elements!Ice$water$wind!erosion,!Tsarap!Chhu!Valley,!Zangskar!Basin!(4,200!m)!Ladakh!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A03! Born!Mountaineers!Sheep! and! goats! cross! the! frozen! Phara! La! Rtse! (‘Crossroads! Pass! Peak’),! better! known! as!Baralacha!La,!a!pass! that!connects!Lahaul!and!Spiti! to!Ladakh!and!Zangskar!(4,830!m).!The!two!headstreams! of! the!River! Chenab! or! Chandrabhaga! $! Chandra! (‘Moon’s!Daughter’)! and!Bhaga!(‘Sun’s!Son’)!$!rise!here.!Lahaul/Ladakh!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A04! The!Lake!that!Vanished!(The!Chandra!Trilogy:!I)*!The!River!Chandra! (‘Moon’s!Daughter’)! originates! southeast!of!Baralacha!La.! Its! first!major!tributary! emanates! from! the! 17$kilometre$long! glacier! of! Samudratapu! (‘Sea! Island’)! or!Samundari!(‘Of!the!Sea’)!$!probably!a!reference!to!the!unusual!relict!shorelines!and!deltas!in!the! landscape.! These! are! associated! with! a! 14$kilometre$long! glacial! palaeo$lake! that!occupied!the!valley!during!the!Last!Glacial,!before!it!breached!an!ice!dam!formed!by!the!Batal!glacier! at! its! downstream! end.! The! event! led! to! a! catastrophic! flood! downstream,! about!40,000!years!ago.!This!picture! shows!a! section!of! the!Upper!Chandra!Valley! (4,050!m)! that!was!occupied!by!the!expansive!palaeo$lake.!Lahaul!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A05! Moon!Lake!(The!Chandra!Trilogy:!II)*!Off!the!left!bank!of!the!River!Chandra!(‘Moon’s!Daughter’)! lies!Chandra!Tal,!the! ‘Moon!Lake’!(4,282!m),!an!oblong!water!body!dammed!between!the!ridge!of!an!old!lateral!moraine!and!a!mountain!front.!The!lake!drains!into!the!Chandra!River.!Large!sheep!herds,!owned!by!Gaddi!pastoralists!from!the!southwestern!valleys!of!Kullu,!Kangra!and!Chamba,!graze!the!lakeshore!pastures!every!summer.!Lahaul!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A06! Legacy!of!the!Moon’s!Daughter!(The!Chandra!Trilogy:!III)*!Here,!at!an!altitude!of!3,941!m,!the!River!Chandra!(‘Moon’s!Daughter’)!takes!a!sharp!right!turn!towards!the!west.!The!27$kilometre$long!Bara!Shigri!(‘Big!Glacier’)!exits!into!the!valley!from!the!southern!side!(see!the!trough!on!the!right!hand!side).!At!this!point,!the!valley!is!about!2!kilometres!wide.!!In! 1918,! the! Punjab!Government! noted,! “Floods! are! not! common! in! Lahul,! but! in! 1836! the!Shigri!glacier!burst!its!bounds!and!dammed!the!Chandra!river!so!high!that!(as!the!story!runs)!guards!were!posted!on!the!Kunzom!pass!to!watch!lest!the!water!should!flow!over!into!Spiti!!There!are!at!any!rate!traces!of!a!large!lake!formed!at!the!time,!and!the!glacier!has!ever!since!lain!athwart!the!old!trade!route,!and!is!the!most!formidable!and!convincing!obstacle!to!trade!between!Spiti!and!Kulu.”!This!record!(of!a!glacier!surge!that!led!to!the!impoundment!of!water!behind!an! ice!dam!that!was!eventually!breached)!corresponds!with!anecdotal!evidence!of!a!devastating!flood!that!washed!away!the!now$deserted!hamlets!of!Sheeti!and!Dooti!on!the!left!bank!of!the!Chandra,!opposite!Sissu,!over!50!kilometres!downstream.!Lahaul!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A07! Determination!A!fir$spruce!forest!rises!from!the!violent!waters!of!the!Chenab!at!the!feet!of!Trilokinath!(‘Lord!of!the!Three!Realms’)!to!the!pernicious!avalanches!of!Kalicho!(4,800!m)!that!slide!down!His!locks.!Kashmir/Lahaul!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A08! In!a!Dream!Alpine!meadow,!Pir!Panjal!Range!(3,600!m)!Kashmir/Punjab!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

B01! The!Eternal!Battle!The!sun!struggles!with!dark!monsoon!clouds!over!Deo!Tibba!(6,001!m).!Deo!(Deva)!Tibba!is!believed!to!be!the!broken!womb!of!Diti,!the!Effulgent!Goddess.!Diti!had!intended! to! remain!pregnant! for!a! century! to!give!birth! to!a! son!more!powerful! than! Indra!Deva,!the!God!of!Weather.!On!discovering!this,!Indra!shattered!her!womb!into!sixty!slivers!of!lightning!from!which!the!Maruta!warriors,!each!one$sixtieth!as!powerful!as!Indra,!were!born.!The!sixty!Marutas!are!Indra’s!attendants!and!guard!his!throne,!Indrasan.!Lahaul!Himalaya,!India!

15x20! 12,000!

A09! Salvation!The!Gompa!of!Labrang!(3,200!m),!dedicated!to!Palden!Lhamo,!the!irate!Tibetan!goddess!who!frees!creatures!from!fear!Lahaul!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

B02! Enlightenment!Cosmic!rays!light!up!the!ascent!towards!Swargarohini,!the!‘Stairway!to!Heaven’,!near!Yamunotri!(3,200!m)!Garhwal!Himalaya,!India!

15x20! 12,000!

B03! The!Flow!of!Life!The!Ganges!(Bhagirathi)!at!Gangnani!(2,100!m)!Garhwal!Himalaya,!India!

15x20! 12,000!

A10! Blessing!The!Chorabari!East!Glacier!flows!down!the!holy!Kedarnath!Mountain!(6,940!m)!to!nourish!the!Mandakini!River!!Garhwal!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A11! Tranquillity!The!four!snowy!pillars!of!Chaukhamba!(6,854$7,138!m)!and!the!lofty!bull!hump!of!Kedarnath!(6,940!m)!reflected!in!the!serene!waters!of!Deoria!Tal!(2,390!m)!Garhwal!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A12! Renunciation!On!the!path!to!Kedarnath!(3,600!m)!Garhwal!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A13! Respite!The!autumn!sun!warms!the!frosty!grasslands!of!Kedarnath!(3,800!m)!Garhwal!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A14! Revelation!Kedarnath!(6,940!m)!emerges!from!the!clouds!Garhwal!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A15! Realisation!!Kedarnath,! the!6,940$metre$high!hump!of!Shiva’s!bull$form,!seen!at!dusk! from!Ravanashila,!the! allegorical! bull’s! 3,800$metre$high! left! elbow,! where! Ravana,! the! King! of! Lanka,! is!believed!to!have!attained!complete!devotion!to!Shiva.! Impressed!by!Ravana’s!piety,!Shiva! is!said! to!have!rewarded!him!with!Chandrahasa! (Moon’s!Smile).!This! celestial! crescent$sword!emerged! from! the! curve! of! the! bull’s! powerful! right! arm.! Rama,! after! defeating! and! killing!Ravana,! is! supposed! to! have! realised! his! own! devotion! to! Shiva! at! Chandrashila! (‘Moon!Rock’),!the!4,000$metre$high!summit!that!forms!the!bull’s!right!elbow.!Garhwal!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A16! Redemption!The!remains!of!Kedarnath!(3,500!m)!seen!from!a!high!moraine!a!few!months!after!the!2013!debris!flow!disaster!Garhwal!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A17! Reverberation!The!mystical!glow!of!Barmal!(5,879!m)!at!the!edge!of!the!Dronagiri!Massif!in!Garhwal!might!compel!us!to!believe!that!Hanuman,!the!valiant!orange$hued!Son!of!the!Wind,!actually! lifted!this!entire!massif! and! flew! it! to!Ravana’s!battlefield!on! the! faraway! island!of!Lanka! to! save!Lakshmana’s!life!with!the!magic!herb!that!grew!on!it.!!Garhwal!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

A18! Repose!!Bhrigupanth!(6,772!m)!and!Thalaysagar!(6,904!m)!bask!in!the!golden!glow!of!the!afternoon!sun.!Garhwal!Himalaya,!India!!

24x32! 24,000!

E01! Meditation!(1)!The!divine!Nanda!Devi!(7,817!m)!seen!before!dawn!from!above!the!precipices!of!Tapovan!in!the!Rishiganga$Dhauliganga!Gorge!Garhwal!Himalaya,!India!

8x10! 4,000!

E02! Meditation!(2)!The!divine!Nanda!Devi!(7,817!m)!seen!at!dawn!from!above!the!precipices!of!Tapovan!in!the!Rishiganga$Dhauliganga!Gorge!Garhwal!Himalaya,!India!

8x10! 4,000!

D01! Devotion!Sunset!on!Trisul!(7,120!m),!Shiva’s!trident,!seen!from!the!temple!of!Badhangarhi!Garhwal!Himalaya,!India!

10x12! 6,000!!

A19! Refuge!Trisul!(7,120!m),!Shiva’s!Trident,!guards!Mrigthuni!(6,855!m),!the!Deer’s!Chin,!as!seen!from!a!shelter!near!Kausani!Garhwal/Kumaon!Himalaya,!India!

24x32! 24,000!

D02! Sentinel!Nanda!Kot!(6,861!m),!Nanda’s!Fortress,!seen!from!the!foot!of!the!precipitous!Kaphni!Glacier!Kumaon!Himalaya,!India!

10x12! 6,000!

C01! Slumber!Nanda!Khat!(6,611!m),!the!allegorical!cot!in!which!Baby!Parvati!(‘Daughter!of!the!Mountains’)!slept!to!turn!into!Nanda,!the!Goddess!of!Bliss!Kumaon!Himalaya,!India!

12x15! 8,000!

D03! Frozen!The!trail!to!the!Pindari!Glacier!(3,400!m)!Kumaon!Himalaya,!India!

10x12! 6,000!

D04! Garland!Pink!rhododendrons!decorate!the!Pindar!Valley!(3,300!m).!Kumaon!Himalaya,!India!

10x12! 6,000!

D05! Offering!Pink! rhododendrons!at! the! foot!of!Nanda!Khat! (6,611!m),! the!allegorical! cot! in!which!Baby!Parvati!(‘Daughter!of!the!Mountains’)!slept!to!turn!into!Nanda,!the!Goddess!of!Bliss!Kumaon!Himalaya,!India!

10x12! 6,000!

P01! Five!Furnaces!Sunset!over!Panchachuli!(6,312$6,904!m),!the!five!allegorical!furnaces!in!which!the!Pandavas!cooked!their!last!meal!before!ascending!towards!heaven!Kumaon!Himalaya,!India!

7x58! 30,000!

P02! Ablaze!Sunrise! panorama:! L$R:! Annapurna! I! (8,091!m),! Machhapuchhre! (6,993!m),! Annapurna! III!(7,555!m),!Annapurna!IV!(7,525!m)!Annapurna!Himal,!Nepal!

5x32! 8,000!

P03! Awakening!Sunrise!panorama:!L$R:!Annapurna!I!(8,091!m),!Machhapuchhre!(6,993!m),!Annapurna!III!(7,555!m),!Annapurna!IV!(7,525!m),!Annapurna!II!(7,937!m),!Lamjung!Himal!(6,983!m),!Manaslu!(8,163!m),!Ngadi!Chuli!(7,871!m)!and!Himalchuli!(7,893!m).!The!epicentre!of!the!devastating!2015!earthquake!was!near!the!right!(eastern)!edge!of!the!photograph.!Annapurna!Himal,!Nepal!

8x32! 12,000!

C02! Union!The!fishtail$shaped!mountain!of!Machhapuchhre!(6,993!m),!where!Uma!meets!Shiva!Annapurna!Himal,!Nepal!

12x15! 8,000!

C03! Fulfilment!Annapurna!I!(8,091!m),!the!Goddess!of!Nourishment!Annapurna!Himal,!Nepal!

12x15! 8,000!

E03! Serenity!(1)!The!misty!Marsyangdi!Valley!(800!m)!!Annapurna!Himal,!Nepal!

8x10! 4,000!

E04! Serenity!(2)!The!misty!firs!of!Lachen!(2,700!m)!Sikkim!Himalaya,!India!

8x10! 4,000!

B04! The!Hemlock!Sunset!Trilogy!–!I*!Sunset!over!Tsuga!dumosa!hemlocks!at!Sandakphu!(3,600!m)!on!the!Singalila!Ridge!near!Darjeeling!Sikkim!Himalaya,!India/Nepal!

15x20! 12,000!

B05! The!Hemlock!Sunset!Trilogy!–!II*!Sunset!over!Tsuga!dumosa!hemlocks!at!Sandakphu!(3,600!m)!on!the!Singalila!Ridge!near!Darjeeling!Sikkim!Himalaya,!India/Nepal!

15x20! 12,000!

B06! The!Hemlock!Sunset!Trilogy!–!III*!Sunset!over!Tsuga!dumosa!hemlocks!at!Sandakphu!(3,600!m)!on!the!Singalila!Ridge!near!Darjeeling!Sikkim!Himalaya,!India/Nepal!

15x20! 12,000!

L01$L30!

Life!Series!(30)!Butterflies,!moths,!spiders,!birds,!deer,!sheep,!goats,!men,!women,!and!children!

12x15! 8,000!each!

W01! Soulscape!(watercolour)! 22x39! For!display!

!*Complete!trilogies!are!available!at!concessional!prices.!

A04$A06!The!Chandra!Trilogy:!INR!50,000!B04$B06!The!Hemlock!Sunset!Trilogy:!INR!25,000!!Order!processing!time:!5$9!working!days!Free!delivery!in!the!National!Capital!Region!