In conversation with Milan Moudgill as he talks about his first solo photography exhibition “Kailash Mansarovar”. A project that follows the journey of Sven Hedin and Swami Pranavananda, through archival material, contemporary pictures, and an in-depth examination of the debates that arose, traces the story of how our modern understanding of Kailash came to be.
From being a graphic designer to debuting with a photography exhibition, how did the transition happen?
I am a graphic designer, not a photographer at all. I have shot stills for Mira Nair movies – ‘Monsoon Wedding’, ‘Namsake’, ‘Vanity Fair’ and ‘A Suitable Boy’. Simultaneously, I was also doing travel photography for Outlook Traveller and National Geographic Traveller. I undertook the Kailash Mansarovar project from 2002 to 2007. I would go there once a year. First time I had gone there as a tourist with camera to shoot. I discovered that Sven Hedin and Swami Pranavananda had gone there. I found it…