Photo: © Shruti Mukherjee

Docu Interview: Shruti Mukherjee

Instagram: @hiji_bijbij

1. What’s your favorite drink?

Darjeeling Tea. Simple and effective.
 

2. Who are you?

I am a lens-based artist and a visual storyteller with ideals that mix nostalgia and modernism, a move towards modifying traditional beliefs in accordance with modern ideas. My interest lies in documenting human conflict, migration and displacement, building narratives through a montage of expressions, in the backdrop of history, society and time. My travel experiences of societies affected by war, socio-cultural conflicts, violence, migration and displacement, became a stimulus for me to try and interpret and analyse the narratives. It allowed me to combine my love for photographic expression and storytelling, with my feeling of responsibility to tell the stories and represent the interconnectedness of people, places, history and society. Yes, I am a freelance photographer, most of the time I work on social issues associated with organisations and some personal projects. Although, photography is not my only source of income.

3. Let's travel back in time... How did you get started with photography?

The first time I held a camera was when I was 12/13 years old (1993-94). My mother gave me a Yashica SLR and instantly, I became the photographer of the family for all occasions. I remember going to the studio to develop the negatives and print them. There was nobody to guide me, so after the first few times, I pretended to know it all about developing. Eventually, when things went digital, I started with digital photography and image processing. My passion for documenting stories around me is not restricted to digital. I like to explore analogue photography and processing for the joy and fulfilment of the experience that it gives me. These days, I extensively shoot on film and also work on alternate image-making processes like Cyanotype, Salt printing, Albumen prints etc.
 

4. Tell about your project/photo essay?

Human conflicts like war, migration and displacement bring out extremes in human behaviour. Paradoxically, they have also helped in the establishment of new societies and rebuilding and rearranging existing ones. These conflicted and often untold human emotions and expression associated with displacement is intriguing when juxtaposed on time and geography. 

This photo-essay titled, The Story of ‘Others’, explores and interprets the myriad emotions and expressions associated with India’s relationship with its immediate neighbours, Pakistan and Bangladesh. We share close yet strained political, cultural and religious affiliations. A long history of conflict, displacement and cross border migration, makes the region inharmonious, to say the least. Growing up in India, I have heard and read about stories related to the partition of India both on its western and eastern borders. I heard them from people I know, from strangers, from people in power and from various media channels. 

Those have had an impression on me as with others. Stories of conflict and persecution, displacement, lost identities, material loss, large scale migration, and a constantly tense relation hanging by the thread. Stories that are detached from my sensibilities of seeing and feeling everyone as equals. Almost everyone in India knows and talk about the horrors of those years. But often opinions are formed based on a commonly agreeable narrative and gets built up to such an extent that the other side of the story remains only as of the “Others”. These conflicting emotions and viewpoints influenced by history, society and politics urged me on with documenting these stories.

5. What is your advice for new young photographers?

No advice because everyone has their own way, but I would like to talk about social media and its influence on photography. Try not to get lost in social media popularity. Take photos because you want to tell a story.
 

6. What is or has been your biggest struggle as a photographer?

I am always struggling with the representation of my images concerning the lives of ordinary people which we see everyday on the streets. My main idea is to tell stories which are yet untold. It is difficult to understand and observe the meaning of life unless one is completely engaged as a photographer. Without an engaged practice any art form be it painting or photography remains or carries a notion of romanticism. I try and struggle to be an engaged photographer who believes in social realities.
 

7. What is your opinion: who are currently the "thought leaders" in documentary photography/visual storytelling?

Shahidul Alam ( for his documentary work and setting up one of its kind photography based schools in Asia) Rena Effendi (for her work with Afghan women)
 

8. How about the "next big names"? Name 1-3 up-and-coming photographers who are not very famous yet, but whose work everyone should check out.

There are so many! I am naming my top favourite based on a similar genre as mine (Visual Storytelling) Soumya Shankar Bose (India) Alain Laboile (France) Barbara Zanon (Venice)
 

9. Do you sell prints? If yes, where can people buy them?

Very rarely, only on request through email or dm on Instagram.
 
 

10. Why did you submit your project/photo essay to Docu Magazine?

I really like the work that Docu Magazine does, true to its name with great content that help and encourage emerging artists like me. The best part about Docu Magazine is they are still holding up the hope for print based magazine when the whole world is going digital! Keep up the great work!