Maya

माया

(noun) Misinterpreting the longing for union within as a call from something outside the Self.

(noun) The power by which the universe becomes manifest

Maya is a visual inquiry into the cosmic dance of being human. Our publication challenges the boundaries between self and story, memory and myth, and individual and ecology. In each volume, Maya unspools a different thread of the human condition. Additionally, each season we dive deep into a subject, as part of our study and discovery process.

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Volume 001

October 2023

photography by kiran topiwala
words by kiran topiwala and lamia anwar shama

published october 2023

This photobook is an exploration of various human stories encountered on a journey of reconnection in India. It begins in the south of India, on the coast in a place called Kumta, near the mouth of the Aghanashini River. The Aghanashini is one of the last free-flowing rivers in India, and it feels just right; as if it is a sign, to allow our own personal journeys to be free-flowing as well.

From the coast, the journey continues inland to Bengaluru. Here, the entangledness of people’s livelihoods with the built environment is considered as a manifestation of maya. This section explores the longing for connection in the midst of urban delusions.

The last leg of the journey reveals the truth and nature of joy, in the pristine foothills of the Himalayas. Beyond connection, a yearning for dependence on nature’s abundance grows, and time appears to flow at a distinct cadence. Life, no longer, presents as something you live. Rather it becomes something you experience.

creative direction by Kiran Topiwala