Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Melange of bright colours in the land of Ranas

Photos: Solveig Boergen
Text: Sanjib Chaudhary

Solveig Boergen travelled to Kanchanpur district of far-western Nepal to shoot the lifestyle of adorable Rana Tharus and the picturesque landscape in October 2012. I have only one word for the images – awesome!

As the sun peeks from the window of the mud house, an old Rana lady is busy preparing meal. The mighty rays illuminate the surrounding and the dark corner of kitchen turns into a portrait painted in ochre.

The lady in her bright blouse sits on a rope cot and makes clay figurines for her grandchildren to play with in the upcoming festival. She draws inspiration from the nature, the tattoos on her arms and the bright colours of her blouse.


Like William Wordsworth's Solitary Reaper, the lady reaps the paddy alone. Her bright costume stands out in the sea of yellow. When her friend joins her, it seems like a competition between the traditional dress she is wearing and the modern dress her mate is adorning. Both the colours burn bright in the yellow field.



It's the marriage season and the ladies show off their ornaments. The silver white looks strikingly beautiful on the bright dress and black shawls.






Like the beautiful patchwork in their dresses, the colours chosen by Ranas form a melange of vivid colours inspired by nature.





Solveig can be reached at solveigboergen@gmail.com

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