This world is ever-changing. There is no constant. But there is something that connects us to the people of our past and will get carried into the future generations. It’s an intangible thing. Something we can’t interact with directly yet it’s omnipresent. That thing is called Culture. Ultimately, conveyed through the portfolio “Us”.

What does Culture represent though? It is not a specific moment. But it does not represent a single location or even a person. By the same token, it can’t be defined in simple terms also. A person cannot create it. But this does not mean that we are insignificant in relation to it. In fact, we are the building blocks of it. Going about our own lives where we meet others. We eat, sleep, sing, dance, travel, climb, build, break, heal. We live!

Those actions join us together. They lead to interactions between different elements. A mother talking to her child. A farmer planting a tree. A bird flying across the horizon. An ocean wave cresting on the beach. Culture creates itself out of those interactions.
This book is about photographing those interactions. How everything around us is influenced by our Culture? Our ideologies, trends, styles have an effect on others. Whether it’s our home or an uncharted hill amidst the Himalayas, wherever we go, we leave a part of ourselves there. Every single moment leads up to where we stand today, at this very moment. That is what defines ‘Us’.

Conveying this emotion through the art of photography is a great way to preserve it. It allows me to showcase it to other people. As it is targeted towards those who are cultural enthusiasts. Moreover, it is meant to develop a sense of unity among the readers and show how all of us are connected to each other.

Manav Nayyar, Amritsar, Punjab

He has always believed that happiness is the ultimate goal. But it doesn’t come that easily. There is no fixed path for achieving it. Every single day, he takes a different step for achieving it. Sometimes he goes towards it while sometimes he moves away from it. It is uncertain when he will attain it. But throughout this journey, he wants to document the people he meets, the places he visits, and the special moments that he gets to experience. Therefore, published the portfolio “Us”. And what better way to do this than photographing it. Furthermore, he has completed his Professional Diploma in Art of photography from Creative hut Institute of Photography, Kerala, India.

Manav Nayyar, Amritsar, Punjab

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Copyrights:
All the photos and text in this post are copyright of Manav Nayyar, Creative Hut Institute of Photography. Their reproduction, full or part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.