Every individual has a unique story waiting to be heard. Imagine being voiceless yet having a profound message to share—every moment of your existence would weave into a compelling narrative. Trees converse in a universal language that all living beings comprehend, inviting us to share our stories and listen deeply to the narratives around us, whether voiced by people or whispered by nature.
As it evolved, this project, “The Land of Apricots”, became something I hadn’t originally envisioned. The concept of connecting trees with humans seemed abstract initially, but it is prevalent in many cultures and communities, especially in remote areas where people live in close harmony with nature. My journey began almost five years ago when I moved to Ladakh to document life in bordering villages. My initial focus was on capturing the daily lives of these communities, particularly in the village of Dah, near the Kargil border, where the indigenous Dard tribe resides. Living alongside them, I witnessed not just the seasons change but also the apricot trees evolve, symbolizing the passage of time and the cycle of life. This experience deepened my understanding of the intrinsic connection between humans and nature, like the profound yet silent communication of trees that transcends visible barriers.
This ongoing project delves into this region’s intricate relationship between humans and apricot trees. It seeks to share stories of coexistence and interdependence between people and the trees, as told through the stages of the lifecycle of apricot trees.
In a remote village in Kargil, also home to the last remaining people of the Dard community, two sisters live in a self-contained existence, together alone, tending to their apricot orchards. After the harsh winter months, when the trees awaken with their blossoms, generations-old traditional costumes are brought out of metal boxes and exposed to spring’s fresh air and scents. The locals wear these costumes to celebrate the festival for welcoming the spring and these precious blossoms heralding the season. This day is markedly different from usual, where the sisters often find solace in solitude. On this day, Samsket, the older of the sisters, wakes up early to braid her sister’s hair. It is a sacred ritual that has been a part of their cultural identity for generations.
Located across the sisters’ village is another remote village, Turtuk, in Baltistan, the northernmost reaches of Ladakh. On a cold December night in 1971, the residents of Turtuk went to sleep in Baltistan, Pakistan, only to awaken as citizens of India, their identities profoundly altered by the politics of separation.
Despite being geographically separated from their families across the border, the Balti community has remained united thanks to their rich literature, culture, and connection with apricots, an essential part of their lives.
Ayan Biswas
Ayan is an independent documentary photographer living in Ladakh. His practice involves visually representing the coexistence of indigenous people with the spaces they inhabit and understanding their lives from an ethnographic approach. He shows vignettes of lives, often employing banal objects and ordinary moments that define the identity. He has been exploring various historical processes through which photographs can be printed, as he believes every medium has its own language of expression. He teaches the locals and collaborates with them to explore how historical printing techniques can document culture and identity.
