fb-pixelTrained as a missionary with an eye toward the multicultural - The Boston Globe Skip to main content
my instagram

Trained as a missionary with an eye toward the multicultural

Deepak Bardhan is a kind of multicultural missionary with a penchant for self expression. The 20-year-old Beverly resident’s Instagram account (@deepakbardhan) features a diverse mosaic of faces complemented by his own poetry, giving audiences a glimpse into the life of the city and that of the photographer.

Q. How did your life in India influence your photography?

A. Most Indians seem to be really good with numbers or really good doctors or so on. I’m not one of those guys. I was brought up in India, in Orissa. My parents were missionaries, and I moved around a lot inside India and lived in various spots with very different cultures. I was actually trained to become a missionary during my high school years, so I have an interest in people and places. Every weekend I’m in Boston trying to take pictures from a different angle such as trying to find construction sites so when the workers go off I can try to take another shot of the Zakim or whatever. I don’t want a picture to just be a simple portrait. I want it to be different.

Q. You seem to like linking images and words. Why?

Advertisement



A. I try to usually post a photograph with a poem underneath it. My mind is always preoccupied with a lot of things so sometimes I fail to write poetry or sometimes I end up writing a lot of poetry. It usually depends, but I want to write more poetry for most of my photography and try to link them up to make my picture more presentable and try to define my photograph through the poem itself. I want to speak to people through this [medium]. Sometimes my pictures are really deep. I have my poetry under a photo and I try to describe how it feels to experience something.

Advertisement



Q. How do you think about the composition of your shots?

A. Sometimes I try to take pictures of people sitting in trains or an old man and a young man on his cellphone, and I try to visualize the gap between the generations. I’m also really interested in nature, sunrises and sunsets, that kind of thing. I try to tie in themes like science and creation. That’s what I’m trying to do most of the time, trying to link my message to my photography. I try my best to talk to a lot of street teenagers or street guys loitering about. I take their pictures and I also say to them, “I’m going to use this for my account, do you want to share your story?” So that allows them to feel good. And also I feel good getting to know them.


Interview was edited and condensed. Carly Sitrin can be reached at carly.sitrin@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @carlysitrin