Photo Journals of India: Two Students' Perspectives

Through June 2004
Asia Collection
Fourth Floor, Hamilton Library

This photo exhibit is mainly a collection of photographs taken by two graduate students, Matthew Lopresti and Nicole Marsh, of separate travels through India. There are three parts to this exhibit; one located on the first floor of Hamilton Library (Phase II); and two located on the fourth floor of Hamilton Library (Phase II). Books for this display were selected by the South Asia Librarian.

First floor (Phase II) Exhibit:

Title -- "Finding Samsara: a journey through India" The display focuses on: Agni: A Vedic Fire Ceremony, Diwali (Festival of Lights) in Varanasi, and Bodh Gaya: Under the Bodhi Tree.

Photographer: Matthew Lopresti

In 2003 Matthew Lopresti spent seven months in India. The Watumull Scholarship for Study in India financed his first trip, from May to August, when he traveled there to participate in an Advanced Sanskrit Language program offered for American graduate students at Deccan College in Pune, Maharashtra. His second journey, from September to December, was spent in a Burmese monastery in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, where he served as Lecturer of Buddhist Philosophy and Field Research Advisor for a Buddhist Studies program based out of Antioch College in the United States.Numerous cities and sites were visited in between and during these two fantastic opportunities, many of which are captured in this, his first, photography exhibit Finding Samsara: a journey through India. Currently, Matthew is a graduate student in the Department of Philosophy (Ph.D. program) and works as an Adjunct Professor of Humanities for Hawaii Pacific University.

Fourth Floor Exhibit I:

Title -- "From Calcutta to Darjeeling: Tracing Family Connections" The display focuses on the following: Mehndi - Henna Designs, City of Darjeeling: a place of Tea, Chinese Community in India.
Photographer: Nicole Marsh
Nicole Y. Marsh is currently in the Library and Information Science Masters Program at the University of Hawai’ at Manoa. In February 2001, Nicole visited India for the first time. She, and ten other family members, set off to retrace her family’ move from Calcutta to Darjeeling. Her photo display is a small window into this three-week reunion. Nicole’ mother is ethnic Chinese, and lived in India until the 1962 China-India conflict forced her family into internment, and eventually emigration. This trip was an opportunity to reflect on this history, as well as a glimpse into her mother’ first home.

Fourth Floor Free-Standing Exhibit II (Asia Collection Reading Room):

Photo Journals of India: Two Students' Perspectives (Continued)
Photographers: Matthew Lopresti and Nicole Marsh
Curator/Designer: Kim Kinard

Display coordinated by:
Stu Dawrs (Coordinator of the Center for South Asian Studies) and Monica Ghosh (Director of the Center for South Asian Studies and South Asia Librarian)

Funding for this display has been generously provided by:
The Center for South Asian Studies
Friends of the Center for South Asian Studies (Sidney Stern Memorial Trust)
Library Exhibits Committee

The exhibit is available for viewing during normal library hours. For more information on the Asia Collection, see http://www.hawaii.edu/asiaref/.