14-YEAR-OLD KOLKATA GIRL TO Releances of a subject as complex and mature as this would usually be far from reality. And even if it is done, to expect the storytelling to be so supremely powerful, so layered, so humane and above all so gripping would be near to impossible. But Aashvi Agarwal has done what is impossible – with the warmest eye – tell the story of one of India’s greatest moments in decades with absolute elan – a book that will go into the annals of history as iconic and pathbreaking”.
Nair added “To steer clear of any politics, any political affiliation or personal agenda and produce a narrative that is completely human, searching out raw emotions of faith in the moment of its birth in a country as secular as India is a masterclass in storytelling and documentation”.
According to Nair, these images merge a personal style with Indian spiritual and cultural heritage, resulting in an album of memories composed of an aesthetically resonant fusion of the two.
“Aashvi’s debut reveals a unique style that is indeed a distinctive blend of traditional narrative techniques with modern style human graphics, creating a fresh and innovative testimony of the magic of monochromatic, cinematic moments in the city of Ayodhya at the Ram Lalla temple. Aashvi captures simple humans as individual, visual characters creating a charismatic choreography, rather than components of a whole. She masters formal narratives naturally even as she explores the flowing rhythms of this millennium in this holy city,” according to Nair.
Sinha who mentored Agarwal says “Documenting Ayodhya or a human congregation of that gigantic size and nature isn’t for the faintest of hearts. Aashvi took to it like a fish to water. It was a hidden hunger that emerged like a voracious beast – the shutter didn’t stop. You will see the result in this book”.
