by Priya Jadhav
Jayesh Kumar Sharma, a young photographer, and artist in collaboration with Nine Fish Art Gallery displayed his 'Kushti' and 'Leela' series at the gallery stall at the MIA Photo Fair 2023, Milan. His work is also currently displayed at the Arsenale in Venice after being selected for the Arte Laguna Prize Venice 2023.
India stands in a peculiar position with regard to modernism and postmodernism due to its issues with nation-building, which are intimately entwined with a range of complex as well as a civilization that has been influenced by numerous sub-histories. India has had its own intriguing deviations in this area, and photography has been a potent asset for capturing the changes and advancement of the contemporary world over the past century. Sadly, India has avoided emphasizing the 5,000-year history of its communities and has instead relied on a flawed "colonial" lens. Many of these minority cultures, traditions, and rituals are at risk of being lost, forgotten, or obliterated as the country marches confidently into the following decade.
As India strides exuberantly into the next decades along with the global world it carries with it its checkered local histories of marginalized peoples, cultures, practices, and rituals which are losing ground and identity, and will probably vanish forever in the next decade at most. These are ‘The Lost Children of postmodernism’ to coin a term, and their worlds need to be recorded for posterity and documented for remembrance.
Young photographer Jayesh Kumar Sharma chose to attempt to photograph two of these dwindling subjects, "Leela" and "Kushti" (Traditional Indian Wrestling) (Theatre of the Gods). He spent six years documenting the diminishing numbers of Kushti wrestlers, a long-standing wrestling tradition with roots in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Since most young wrestlers have been drawn away from Kushti by the allure of international-style wrestling, the historic mud arenas where generations of practitioners formerly trained are now deserted. The nearly monastic lifestyles and practices that the youth were required to adopt as part of the kushti philosophy of life are no longer appealing. These ancient gyms, or "akhadas," are mostly silent and have a desolate and dilapidated appearance, which is frequently reflected on the faces of the remaining few users.
The subject of Leela is a traditional performance of local children's street theatre on the banks of the Ganges once a year. It is distinctive to Banaras, and Sharma has been going every year while witnessing how its support and popularity are dwindling. It is likely coming to an end after its enigmatic 400-odd years of recorded history.
Jayesh Sharma personally encountered the rapid changes that his generation is experiencing, including the profound sense of loss and separation that starts to sift through memory and starts to tamper with received identities. Jayesh Sharma grew up and went to university in the historic city of Varanasi. He is concerned that things are changing too quickly and that there aren't enough recordings of what's vanishing. Jayesh intends to spend many more years researching how cultural identity and memory are developed and dissipated. His interest in pursuing a career in photography intrigued him through documentation, archiving, and cultural preservation while pursuing his course.
Jayesh Sharma’s interests and talent attracted the attention of the curators at Nine Fish Art Gallery, who were working on their “The Lost Children of postmodernism” theme with artists and other photographers and felt that Jayesh’s interests aligned well with those of the gallery.
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