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Capturing The Colors Of Punjab

Photographs by MARK HARTMAN, Interview by JOANNA NIKAS, Produced by EVE LYONS

 

 

 






What keeps Mark Hartman, a photographer based in Brooklyn, New York, USA, going back to Punjab -- this was his fifth trip -- is his fascination with taking pictures of the Nihang Sikhs. This time, he spent most of his days posted outside the Golden Temple, the most famous gurdwara in Sikhism, as well as at the train station in Amritsar and the market in the state’s capital, Chandigarh.

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A scene common at the Golden Temple in Amritsar is where crowds of people circle the gurdwara listening to the gurbani kirtan as a form of meditation and prayer. Around the Golden Temple, people were dressed modestly and traditionally out of respect for the sacred place.

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At the marketplace, however, the photographer saw more modern dress. He found a man in Chandigarh who, “it was kind of surprising to see someone with more flamboyant style, kind of rockabilly style in Punjab.” Hartman says he saw more tattoos on people this trip than during his first trip, in 2014.

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These two men were shopping at the Chandigarh market with their families when the photographer spotted them. “I just love the bright colored turbans,” he said.

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He caught a portrait of a recent bride at the train station. When you see women with a certain type of bangles, Hartman said,  “it means they were just married.”

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The photographer said he was reminded of Tom Cruise when he saw this man at the Amritsar train station. “I saw the full suit that he had, and I was instantly attracted to his personal style,” Hartman said. “I love the Ray-Bans over the turban.” 

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Hartman was drawn to this rickshaw driver’s bright pink kurta and pants.  The rickshaw is the cheapest form of transportation in Punjab. “It would cost something like 50 cents for a ride from Union Square to Midtown,” he said. “Then you have the tuk-tuk, which is a motorized four-wheel motorcycle, and motorcycles, scooters and cars are all sharing the road.”

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A woman was at the train station with her mother after visiting the Golden Temple when Hartman photographed her. “I liked the image picture because it showed her confidence, both in the way she’s looking at the camera, as well as the clothing,” he said.

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A man was selling balloons outside the Golden Temple, something you see quite often there. Hartman saw a lot of Oxford-style button down shirts, like the one this man was wearing. “Bespoke tailors are super common in Punjab,” he said. “You basically bring them a copy of the shirt you want and the fabric, and he will do it in two days.”

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The photographer liked how a woman’s manicured hand pressed up against the train window. 

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Since his first time in Punjab, Hartman noticed more young people experimenting with their looks, sporting trendy sunglasses, tattoos, etc. “The mustache is a symbol of masculinity,” he said of the man who was sporting a mustache and coifed facial hair.  The mustache curl is popular in both movies and theater, he said.

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“She was wearing modern clothing that you’d see a person in their early 20s wearing outside the religious sites,” Hartman said of a woman, a college student studying information technology. Inside gurdwaras, adornments aren’t easy to spot, he said, “but outside, at the markets around the city of Amritsar, it’s more common to see jewelry.”

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“The turban itself is a symbol of pride for Sikh men,” he said. “It’s like a crown.”


[Courtesy: The New York Times. Edited for sikhchic.com]

May 8, 2017
 

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