India’s First Photobook Festival took place in the beautiful location of Dehradun, a stunning valley town and the capital of the north Indian state of Uttarakhand, which is bordered by the majestic Himalaya Mountains in the North and the Shivalik Hills to the South, the holy Ganges River on the East and the Yamuna River to the West.
The Festival took place at 8 different venues in and around the town, providing an opportunity for the audiences to explore the diversity of photographic books that were on show, which included photo-books independently or commercially published and distributed, handmade, self-published, book dummies, exhibition catalogues, zines and limited-edition photography books.
The events and exhibitions were intended to be informative, educational and interactive, as well as inspiring others to take part. In particular, it was our aim that we should be as inclusive as possible and reach out to sections of our society which do not feel like they are heard at times and are never exposed to art literacy in any way.
Many of these people, such as prisoners in the district jail, students from local colleges and universities and children from less privileged backgrounds, may never have had the opportunity to get involved with such a festival had it not been for the hard work of the volunteers who helped to put the event together and who helped us build a strong, connected and well-informed community as a result.
The Kitab provided the perfect opportunity to familiarize yourself with the history, present and future of the photo-book, both in a national and international context. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all the photo-book-makers and publishers, from all over the world, for their unwavering and unending support.
