OmanPride: Omani lenses capture Kashmir’s splendour

More sports Sunday 24/December/2017 19:44 PM
By: Times News Service
OmanPride: Omani lenses capture Kashmir’s splendour

Two Omani photographers travelled from the deserts of Oman to the snow-clad mountains of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir state. It was their passion for adventure and the urge to capture human life that drove them to this unlikeliest of places. Hamad Al Ghanboosi, an International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) photographer, and Salim Al-Rashdi focused on capturing people’s lives, by travelling to the territory which is currently disputed between India and Pakistan
The photographers’ adventure began in Leh, the largest city in Ladakh. Here, they photographed the markets and railway stations. Then they travelled to Kargil. They captured the people’s lives in the snowy areas and children in schools, markets, and mountains.
The photographs reflected the traditional way of life of the people in the state and their lifestyle and habits.
“During our visit, we saw charming views of the village. We photographed their donkeys as they carried food to the residents in the mountains,” remarked Hamad.

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“When we were there, the schools were closed on account of the winter holidays,” he added.
Two days after their Kargil tour, the photographers returned to Leh. They then visited the highest peak near Turtuk village, which was 205km from Leh city. “We visited the highest peak, which is 18,389 feet above the sea level. The temperature was under 10 degrees,” he said. “Because of the snow, winds and low pressure, we were not able to travel. So, we decided to go back to Turtuk and stay there.”
They moved around in the town and tried to capture the lifestyle of its people. “We captured their temples. We also observed and studied how they prepared the bricks,” Hamad added.
Both photographers have various achievements to their names in the category of human life photography. Hamad won the Sian International Photography Award in Italy recently. He won the award in the human life category for his ‘Woman in Farm’ photo.
They hoped that other photographers would also reflect people’s lives — actions, traditions, values — through their lens and talk to the world.