The Kashmir Analogs - Blog
“The Kashmir Analogs” is a visceral blog series depicting experiences from a 2012 trip to Eastern Kashmir. Partnered with Nelson Guda on an international peace and conflict studies project (The Enemies Project), Alex documented the life, land and conflict present in Northern India and Kashmir. Together they interviewed and photographed hundreds of individuals ranging from, X-militants, Saints, Politicians, Families and Women to Nomadic Tribesmen. Fine Art prints from this series were galleried in August, 2014.
View the Exhibited Images
Gallery Exhibit – August, 2014
View the exhibited photographs
and why they were chosen.
The Sky Above Leh
In India they say, the God that brought life into the world was himself, born in Leh… The first thing God saw when he opened his eyes, was the sky… Henceforth, the god tried and tried to create things in the world as blue as the sky, but never could. It seems his...
The Conclusion: The Kashmir Analogs
How to sum this up... I've been in the process of writing The Kashmir Analogs for almost a year now. But it feels like there is more to be said and gleaned from these experiences in India and the Middle-East... And here I am writing the concluding paragraphs to the...
The Crux – The Kashmir Analogs: Part 5
Here we are at the Crux. The Crux being the move we take to make it all come together... all coalesce... It's been seven weeks since I started posting The Kashmir Analogs. Traveling and working in Kashmir was a journey for sure. And so far, I've only told stories...
Transcending the Language Barrier – The Kashmir Analogs: Part 4
It is funny where you find yourself sometimes… after I opened my eyes and let them adjust to bright, early-afternoon sunlight, I saw, sitting in front of me, a young boy wearing a brown tunic, staring at me with a big curious grin… as I regain my senses, all I could...
The People and APDP- The Kashmir Analogs: Part 3
- The People – Shoving a camera up to a strangers face requires a lot of nerve. It's a trip walking up to someone on the street who speaks a different language than you, and saying, "can I take your picture" while using your hands and pointing and the camera to get...
The Separatists – The Kashmir Analogs: Part 2
At this point in my journey in Northern India and my stay in Kashmir, things started to move fast. It was on our second day in Lal Chowk, Srinagar that we began meeting leaders of different separatist parties in Kashmir. For Nelson’s project, his intention is to meet...
Introduction and Connections in Lal Chowk- The Kashmir Analogs Part 1
-Introduction - Kashmir, Kashmir, Kashmir… In the blossoming age of global communication, media, and technology, the inaccuracy of information the average Westerner has access to, with regards to Kashmir is astounding... Kashmir and the surrounding region, holds what...
Before we get started… an intro to “The Kashmir Analogs”
It has been six months since I returned to the U.S. from India, and I'm still feeling her irresistible and at times overwhelming pull... India never really leaves my mind. The experiences I accrued while traveling there, the people I got to meet and all the...
An Epic Ride to Tsomoriri
Alex: Have you ever ridden a motorcycle before Nels? Nelson: Never driven one, but I loved riding them with my friends in Nairobi… Alex: Are you any good on a mountain bike? Nelson: eh… Guy renting us the motorcycles: Don’t worry, here’s a map (hand drawn)… no, no,...
Leh – Ladakh
They say the color blue… has a deep connection with the city of Leh… … They say the god that brought life to the world was himself, born in Leh... And, the first thing that the god saw when he opened his eyes was sky... henceforth, the god tried and tried to make...