Porters of Taste & Women Farmers in South Asia

Description: 13 black & white fabric banners, 72 x 85 inches, to be back lit in window

In/Visible: Porters of Taste. Photography Series (installation film)

“To fill our bellies, we look for work outside. Our fields no longer provide a livable life,” says a paladār (spice porter) on a hot and humid pre-monsoon Sunday in June.

​Gadodia Market is the nerve center of Asia’s largest spice market, located in Khari Baoli, Old Delhi. It is where many migrant porters work and live. Most are farmers, descendants from a long line of agriculturalists. No longer able to make ends meet, they trek to Old Delhi, following the trail of family members in search of jobs. The men, whether newly dislocated youth or longtime porters, come from Bihar, Kashmir, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Nepal and merge in the market. They haul spices, seeds, and herbs in and out of the building. Separated from family, they create community out of necessity. 

Description: 3 color plexiglass hanging prints, 40 x 28 inches

In/Visible: Indian Women Farmers. Photography Series (installation film)

Indian women farmers number nearly 98 million, still their contributions are rarely acknowledged or valued. They embody diverse and location-specific ecological knowledge about seed-saving, foraging, food culture, and healing. The farmers depicted in the portrait series hail from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Nagaland, Rajasthan and Telangana. They are Hindus, Dalits, Muslims, Christians, some are of African descent, and others represent the original, indigenous inhabitants, Adivasis. Like their global counterparts, Indian women farmers make profound contributions to a farming life, and to the survival of their families and communities. They confront unrelenting struggle and yet, they persist. They are my sheroes.

Read more…

The exhibition highlighting the power of migrant cooks, The National UAE, Priti Salian, 6 Dec 2018.

The Real Tastemakers: Portraits of Farmers and Spice Porters in India, Humanities Across Borders, 22 Jun 2018.

This new Exhibit Spotlights the People who Make India’s Food. The Teal Mango, Food and Culture, Lakshmi Gandhi, 14 Jun 2018.

Pakistani-American Researcher Sarah Khan On Her Photo-Exhibition On Indian Farmers & Spice Porters.Indian Women Blog, Arunima Maharshi, 11 Jun 2018

The real tastemakers: Photos of Indian men and women whose labours put food on our tables.An exhibition of portraits by Pakistani-American researcher Sarah K Khan is currently on display in New York. Scroll.In Magazine, Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri, 9 Jun 2018

“Out of the Shadows.” Each day, 98 million female farmers in India participate in a full range of agricultural activities—yet they are among some of the world’s most marginalized communities. Sarah Khan, a visiting scholar at NYU’s Asian/Pacific/American Institute bore witness to the plight of these women. Her portraits will be on view in the Kimmel Windows from June 7 through September 7 in the exhibition In/Visible: Portraits of Farmers and Spice Porters of India curated by Tisch faculty member Grace Aneiza Ali. NYU Arts Digest, Spring.