Over my lifetime I’ve seen the land structure around my residence change with commercialization. The transformation has cost the traditional agricultural base of my hometown, gradually giving way to an expanding urban fabric.

Earlier, the aroma of petrichor and the sound of rustling leaves used to be the two particular things that I used to hear as I opened my eyes every morning. Now it has been totally eradicated by the pungent smell of chemicals and smoke emitted by brick kilns, nauseating my soul.  

Farms which earlier were a second home for peasants rearing and caring their crops have been bulldozed to build physical structures and for other commercial purposes.

Though the change is evident and cities have to transform with time, the indigenous quality of the land has degraded haphazardly. The increasing number of brick kilns and land plotting has faded the ambience of my hometown, Sipadol. Bhaktapur is no longer the same.

Not The Same Anymore depicts the story of how my hometown, Bhaktapur, became a victim of unplanned urbanization. Once the city of farmers and their fields, my hometown has now changed into a hive of brick kilns and plotting of land. With rapid population growth and commercialization, the city I once knew has been completely transformed and I believe that after 10 years maybe this place will be nothing but a concrete jungle.

This photo story was made during the International Storytelling Workshop 2023, hosted by photo.circle (Nepal) in collaboration with Oslo Metropolitan University (Norway) and Pathshala South Asian Media Academy (Bangladesh).

 
• Bhaktapur
 
• unplanned_urbanization
 
• brick_kilns
 
• plotting_of_land