You've been to a food festival. You've been to a music festival. But have you ever been to photo book festival? The Kitab, a unique initiative and passion project of law student-turned-photography enthusiast Manik Katyal aims to spread the impact of photographs beyond museums and galleries. From 21-23 September 2018, Almora will host the second edition of Kitab, an art festival for a cause, dedicated to women in the Himalayas.
"Photography has always been largely confined to spaces like art galleries and museums in bigger cities in India, which is inaccessible to various underprivileged sections of the society. We want to change that. Photography is for people regardless of their background or economic status," Katyal tells Condé Nast Traveller. At the festival, 70 photo books from photographers from over 30 different countries will be on display. The festival will bring much needed global exposure to the remote region of Almora by featuring a range of work by famous photographers across issues such as education, gender, human rights, health, environment and conflict. Some of the photo books in this edition are There Are No Homosexuals in Iran by Swiss-Persian photographer Laurence Rasti; Experimental Relationships by Chinese photographer Pixy Liao—a long-term project which questions the stereotypical roles of men and women and the idea of dominance in relationships; American photographer Mike Mandel's People in Cars; Jonas Bendiksen's The Last Testament, a years-long exploration of the lives of seven self-proclaimed Messiahs around the world who claim to be Christ; Life in Spiti by Himanshu Khagta.
During the festival, the organisers will also be putting together a a special exhibition exclusively for the rural women in the region. "In the past we have organised photography festivals for slum-communities, transgender communities, jail-inmates and college students. Our festival is a compelling case that cultural projects are not simply a luxury but play a fundamental role in inspiring and educating the marginalised communities."
Since Kitab is all about democratising photography in India, there is no fee to view the exhibition and entry is open to all.
More details here