Look inside
Published in 2017 by Chose Commune, The Promise is the second book in French photographer Vasantha Yogananthan’s acclaimed seven-part project titled A Myth of Two Souls. The overall multi-volume series offers a contemporary visual reimagining of the Ramayana, one of the central epics of Hindu mythology.
While the broader series follows the epic journey of the myth's heroes across India and Nepal, this specific volume focuses on the romance, courtship, grand wedding, and vows exchanged between Prince Rama and Princess Sita. The book explores how their union, a celebratory yet complex event, remains deeply embedded in the collective cultural imagination across South Asia.
To tell this story, Yogananthan uses a distinct blend of documentary, mythology, and fiction. His artistic approach interweaves large- and medium-format color photography with traditional hand-tinted and hand-painted photographs alongside local vernacular imagery. He staged scenes with local residents acting out parts of the story, set alongside candid imagery of everyday life in regions associated with the myth. The visual narrative is accompanied by textual retellings of the epic written by Indian scholar and author Arshia Sattar.
Published in 2017 by Chose Commune, The Promise is the second book in French photographer Vasantha Yogananthan’s acclaimed seven-part project titled A Myth of Two Souls. The overall multi-volume series offers a contemporary visual reimagining of the Ramayana, one of the central epics of Hindu mythology.
While the broader series follows the epic journey of the myth's heroes across India and Nepal, this specific volume focuses on the romance, courtship, grand wedding, and vows exchanged between Prince Rama and Princess Sita. The book explores how their union, a celebratory yet complex event, remains deeply embedded in the collective cultural imagination across South Asia.
To tell this story, Yogananthan uses a distinct blend of documentary, mythology, and fiction. His artistic approach interweaves large- and medium-format color photography with traditional hand-tinted and hand-painted photographs alongside local vernacular imagery. He staged scenes with local residents acting out parts of the story, set alongside candid imagery of everyday life in regions associated with the myth. The visual narrative is accompanied by textual retellings of the epic written by Indian scholar and author Arshia Sattar.