Photographer Ulka Chauhan’s love for photography goes back to the early 80s when her dad gifted her a camera. Chauhan has lived across four countries in four continents for two decades, often finding herself reflecting on the topic of home. During this process of locating and relocating, she became drawn to the story of Goan homes which is the focus of her new book titled ‘The Memory Keepers and Future Seekers: Portraits of Heritage Homes in Goa’, to be released on October 5 at the Festa de Goa, Royal Opera House, Mumbai.
Picture Credits: Photographer Ulka Chauhan The book, through a layered narrative with visual and literary portraits of the 300+ year-old homes in Goa, focuses on stories of families and fragments of memories, while also touching upon the historical, cultural, political, economic, social, and religious moments that shaped Goa. Through the photos in her book, Chauhan freezes a past that has gone by, while at the same time bringing life to it. Excerpts from the interview: What is the story behind the first part of your book titled ‘Memory Keepers and Future Seekers: Portrait of Heritage Homes in Goa’.
The material culture contained within Goa’s heritage homes, the architecture, antiques and artefacts, along with the personal stories and fragments of memories of their occupants. really make the larger histories of Goa come softly into focus. But apart from looking at these homes as the memory keepers of the past, my book also serves to spark conversa.
