'In times of crisis, I see my mother in peace': Prarthna Singh's best phone photo
Prarthna Singh describes nationwide oxygen and bed shortages during India's second wave of Covid in April 2021 as a "traumatic time for everyone. People carried their loved ones from town to town. We all felt helpless.”
At the time, the photographer was living with her parents in Jaipur, Rajasthan, the "pink city". The Maharaja had most of the buildings painted this color - which indicates hospitality - to welcome the Prince of Wales in 1876. Singh's portrait, of his mother meditating and stretching in her garden, echoes this story .
“The tiles on the left and the exterior wall of the house showcased my mother's dress, as well as the flowers of the beautiful gulmohar tree,” Singh says. "My dad held my dress while I hung out on the balcony so I could shoot right over her." The physical support he gives his daughter is an apt metaphor: Singh's father was at the forefront of the fight for women's rights and access to education in India.
The photo was taken at dusk, when light from the sky and a neighbor's house cast shadows on the ground. Looking back, Singh sees the fatigue on his mother's face. “There are many pressures and demands as a woman in India, and so many ways you are expected to safeguard your home and family, especially in times of crisis. But here she was taking a moment to take care of herself, so I also see peace and beauty."
Prarthna Singh describes nationwide oxygen and bed shortages during India's second wave of Covid in April 2021 as a "traumatic time for everyone. People carried their loved ones from town to town. We all felt helpless.”
At the time, the photographer was living with her parents in Jaipur, Rajasthan, the "pink city". The Maharaja had most of the buildings painted this color - which indicates hospitality - to welcome the Prince of Wales in 1876. Singh's portrait, of his mother meditating and stretching in her garden, echoes this story .
“The tiles on the left and the exterior wall of the house showcased my mother's dress, as well as the flowers of the beautiful gulmohar tree,” Singh says. "My dad held my dress while I hung out on the balcony so I could shoot right over her." The physical support he gives his daughter is an apt metaphor: Singh's father was at the forefront of the fight for women's rights and access to education in India.
The photo was taken at dusk, when light from the sky and a neighbor's house cast shadows on the ground. Looking back, Singh sees the fatigue on his mother's face. “There are many pressures and demands as a woman in India, and so many ways you are expected to safeguard your home and family, especially in times of crisis. But here she was taking a moment to take care of herself, so I also see peace and beauty."
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