Speaking Stones- First-ever Visual Documentation of Ladakh's Colourful Petroglyphs

Ahtushi Deshpande is an independent, self-taught photographer and writer with a profound love for exploring the untamed beauty of diverse terrains. Her photography has been featured in various travel and lifestyle magazines like Outlook Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Marie Claire, Design Today, and more.?

Ahtushi is the inspirational author of "Speaking Stones", curated over the past three years. It presents Ladakh's finest Rock Art panels, the first of its kind. It documents Ladakh's petroglyphs on a massive scale using special photography techniques. This project proved to Ahtushi the value of sharing the histories and cultures of places that moved her, braving extremely harsh conditions.??

To Ahtushi, "Speaking Stones" highlights the enduring artistic impulse, evident since the Stone Age. She launched her book at India Habitat Center on 25th July 2024. She managed to captivate the global stage in the November 2023 issue of 'Archéologia,' the renowned French magazine on Archaeology. A solo exhibition, book launch, and talk based on "Speaking Stones" is being held at the Media Rostand Gallery in Paris in November 2024.???

Check out my full interview with her: https://dreamwebindia.in/2024/08/07/inspiring-women-every-wednesday-ahtushi-deshpande/?

?The Quest of an Adventurous Spirit to Document Experiences

Ahtushi worked with Outlook Traveler magazine as a travel writer and photographer. Her debut travel feature, "To the Land of Snow," on the Milam Glacier trek, published by Outlook was later incorporated into Tamil Nadu's high school English curriculum. It features high-altitude solo trekking.

When Ahtushi was undergoing treatment for cancer, she documented her journey through chemotherapy capturing the process of hair loss and regrowth, as a project titled "The Colour of My Cancer". The exhibition reveals her perspective, delving into a more vulnerable reflection of depletion and renewal. She wanted to confront the social stigma and myths around cancer and to rise above the fear. She truly explores her life through her lens, creating a visual legacy.?

Exploring the Road Less-Travelled

Ahtushi has always been passionate about off-beat travel, thriving on the solitude and intrigue of uncharted trails. One of her initial adventures was a month-long assignment with Outlook Traveller guidebooks. It allowed her to venture into the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. She undertook three consecutive treks in the reserve, the Kagbhushandi, Dronagiri, and Nanda Devi National Park routes. The first two were not well-trodden paths; they navigated by following ancient cairns and progressed through the rugged terrain. The isolation she experienced, was palpable in the untamed wilderness. She held a solo exhibition called 'Therefore I Climb' (2006), a selection of landscapes photographed on her Himalayan treks.?

Ahtushi considers the shoot she did for GEO magazine on the architecture of Himachal Pradesh quite special. She describes capturing the ancient palaces, fortresses, and the distinctive, 'Kath – khuni (wood and stone) architecture, as an incredible experience.

Ahtushi's work features in a book and exhibition celebrating 75 years of Indian photography, published by Museo Camera, the Centre for the Photographic Arts.?