Bong connection makes UK-Nepal bond stronger

KOLKATA: When Nepal and the UK celebrate the bicentenary of their relationship later this week, a Kolkatan will be there in Kathamandu to soak in the sights and sounds.
Mountaineer lensman Sujoy Das has been invited by the Nepal Britain Society for the launch of 'Nepal HimalayaA Journey Through Time', his joint project with British conservationist Lisa Choegyal, on September 18.Das, for whom the Himalayas is the second home, will also make a special presentation at the event.
“It is a rare honour. I am neither British nor Nepali, yet my work has struck a chord within the NBS community ,“ said Das, the man who has spent more than 30 years clicking Nepal's snowy peaks.
Having worked before with British-born Choegyal, who has made Kathmandu her home since the 1970s, made his choice of text-writer for his most ambitious work ever on Nepal easy.
That `Nepal HimalayaA Journey Through Time' is in black and white makes it special. “There are coffee table books on Nepal in colour. So I chose the monochrome route, using light and shade, patterns and textures, to bring the photographs to life,“ Das explained. The book includes drawings by acclaimed artist Paula Sengupta and a foreword by famous Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner.
Das, who's been on the Everest four times and is known for his research on Tenzing Norgay , has introduced many trekkers to the magic of the Himalayan peaks in Nepal.
Das has come a long way , capturing Himalayan flora and fauna since climbing Dorji La (18,644 ft) peak in 1986. He'd forever be in search of “the right light, the right time of the day that transforms a mundane view or an ordinary moment into something extraordinary . In my photographs, there's a story waiting to be told. I hope I have been able to tell it well.“