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Punjab’s unique water tanks take centre stage at French photography festival
Rajesh Vora’s photographs of the unique water tanks in Punjabi villages are exhibiting at Les Rencontres d’Arles in France this summer.
First-time visitors to the hinterlands of Punjab are often struck by a phenomenon unique to the region - extraordinary sculptures that dot almost every rooftop. From airplanes to alcohol bottles, footballs to battle tanks, these oversized sculptures rise from the rooftops to make a unique skyline.
These rooftop sculptures are not merely decorative - they are actually water tanks of private homes.
When Mumbai-based photographer Rajesh Vora first visited Punjab in 2014, he was amused – and then fascinated – by the scene that met his eye. “I was amused, like anybody would be seeing this kind of sculpture,” he told CNN. “But then I realized, as an architecture photographer, what amazed me was the integration of the sculptures on the houses, built by local artisans.”
So began Vora’s six-year obsession with photographing Punjab’s rooftop sculptures that has resulted in a body of work now being displayed at a prestigious French photography festival.
From Punjab to France
Rajesh Vora’s photographs of the unique water tanks in Punjabi villages are now exhibiting at Les Rencontres d’Arles in France this summer.
The website of Les Rencontres d’Arles explains that these extraordinary water tanks started cropping up in the 1970s, when the first wave of NRIs (Non Resident Indians) started building homes in their villages. In time, they became an integral part of the landscape.
The rooftop sculptures range from footballs, lotuses, bottles of alcohol, battle tanks, Maruti cars and, perhaps most popular, airplanes.
Photographer Rajesh Vora spoke to CNN about how each water tank reflects the homeowner’s interests. “If somebody plays sports, they’ll put up a football there, if they are a chef they will put a pressure cooker… if somebody likes a nice drink, they’ll put a bottle of whiskey,” he said. “All their personal aspirations are embodied in their houses.”
Vora spent six years documenting the water tanks. He travelled to remote regions of the state, some that were not even mapped on Google Maps, to find these sculptures. “Some days are lucky — you might get three or four kinds of water tanks; others, you might not get anything,” the Mumbai-based photographer told CNN. Daulatpur village proved to be a rare goldmine for Vora, who managed to capture several sculptures in one frame there.
