Photo exhibition traces life of Afghans living in Kolkata

New Delhi, April 13:  Nobel laureate Rabindrath Tagore’s timeless story “Kabuliwala” resotes perfectly with the Afghan community living in India. And capturing these connections is an ongoing photo exhibition in the capital that traces the life of Afghans living in Kolkata. Documenting the lives of around 5,000 Afghan families living in Kolkata in the exhibition “From Kabul to Kolkata: Of Belonging, Memories and Identity” two jourlists embarked on a three-year journey to tell the story of a century of social transformation within the community. It opened Saturday and is on till April 13. Moska jib and zes Afroz have captured the stories of this secluded and little-known settlement in the present time through photographs. “Being away from my homeland, I have been always drawn to the themes of identity and new belonging. This inspired me to photograph one of the oldest settled Afghan communities in India in modern times,” said jib, an Afghan who has lived in India for most of her life. jib hopes that the photographs on display will allow viewers to experience the problems of preserving an identity and rebuilding a home in a new space. “I wanted to explore how the community has held onto its culture and identity through the 100 years. And by understanding their ways of connection, I, too, wanted to connect with my own country - Afghanistan,” she added. Until a few decades ago, real Kabuliwalas were a common sight on the streets of Kolkata, as in most cities of north and central India; today stereotypes and standard attributes have formed an ambiguous image of these people. (IANS)