Stoner to Seeker: The Photographs

Gordon Schwerzmann

Description

STONER TO SEEKER: VOLUME I: THE PHOTOGRAHS is my impression of two of the most fascinating countries in Asia.
Bangladesh is a brand-new country and I was there just a few months after they won their hard fought independence from Pakistan. I have photographed students, small businessmen, fishermen and villagers showing how they realize their hopes and dreams for this verdant paradise.
Kathmandu, Nepal is the last stop on the overland Hippie Trail from Europe to Asia. What we found was a medieval country and it is the people, places and way of life of this mystical land that I recorded with my camera.
I have documented a time, the 1970s, before the all-pervading Western culture, the Economic Miracle and the geo-political revolutions changed Asia irrevocably.
This is my photographic vision of Asia, a bright shining candle before the winds of change extinguished it forever.

Sujets

• Loisirs
• Collections photographiques
• Themes
• Subjects
• Nepal
• Photography
• Bangladesh

Informations

• Publié par: Xlibris US
• Date de parution: 27 octobre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669847076
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 6 Mo

Extrait

Copyright © 2022 by Gordon Schwerzmann. 843857

All rights reserved. No part of this book may

be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by

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and retrieval system, without permission in writing from

the copyright owner.

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

Library of Congress Control Number:

2022916942

ISBN:

Softcover

978-1-6698-4708-3

Hardcover

978-1-6698-4709-0

EBook

978-1-6698-4707-6

Rev. date: 10/26/2022
STONER TO SEEKER:

THE PHOTOGRAPHS

VOLUME 1: BANGLADESH NEPAL

TRAVELING ON THE 1970’S

ASIAN HIPPIE TRAILS

HIPPIE KI YAY!

GORDON SCHWERZMANN

DEDICATION
This is for all the freaks and “living-on-the-rough” tourists that I met on the road: to your passion, love of adventure, awe of wonder and love. The Dire Straits anthem symbolizes the comradeship that I felt for my “Brothers in Arms”.

INTRODUCTION
In this book I try to capture the highs and the lows (topographically speaking) of the Indian subcontinent. Both countries fascinated me. The first, Bangladesh is a whole new independent nation, freed from the barbarities of Pakistani rule. I was there just a few months after independence and tried to talk to students, workers, hotel and store owners and villagers about the possibilities, dreams and visions for this new “City on the Hill”. I felt I was going back 200 years in time and talking to the colonists that had just won their independence from Great Britain. America too is a new nation, now the most powerful in the world and here is this green fertile land that can remake itself into something extraordinary. In my companion work (“STONER to SEEKER: The JOURNAL) I have explored the history, culture, and religion of Bangladesh. Here in this photo book, I have tried to capture the people and some of the fascinating places that I visited. I was fortunate to come to Bangladesh at the tail end of the monsoon, where everything is green, and this luxurious growth symbolizes to me new life and new beginnings.
Nepal, specifically the Kathmandu valley, has been a fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Growing up, I read about the Himalayas and the friendly peaceful inhabitants of this part of the world and always wanted to visit. In my mind I equated Nepal with Tibet and the Buddhist religion. I did not even know that Nepal is primarily a Hindu country, in people and religion. However, this did not matter, what really mattered were the friendly people and the kindness I was shown in the country.
As a hippie freak, Kathmandu is the final stop on the trail of adventure and self-discovery (no, there are no photographs of naked hippie flower girls dancing at the full moon in the mountains). Kathmandu is Woodstock East: peace, drugs, rock and roll, and mud. Many of the freaks I knew came for the dope and the gathering of the clans and stayed on for the religion and the friendly people. As I wrote in my journal there were many cities in Asia that were just like medieval Europe: the religion, the shops and the way of life. Nepal is not like medieval Europe: it is medieval Europe! Here the time warp extends to the whole country, largely living a life that my ancestors in Norway and Switzerland lived 600 years before. Once you leave Kathmandu for the countryside there is no electricity, only well water and very rudimentary sanitation (a standalone outhouse is an example of upscale plumbing). Their way of life is dictated by the seasons: planting and harvesting. The people are hardworking, and everything revolves around religion.
I can only hope that the reader will feel some of the energy and love that I felt for the Bengali and Nepalese people in these photographs. Disclaimer: this book is only for the strong in mind and heart; for those who are not up for this adventure, I’m sure you can find a rerun of a superhero movie on NETFLIX.
Well, I’ve had enough of this little fireside chat. Let’s get on with the “Big Shew”: camera, lights, we’re live now!
BANGLADESH