Outcaste

Set amidst India's rich pageantry and colorful chaos, one human being struggles to live a simple life in silence. In a world of inter-connectivity, he is a Mauni Sadhu (Silent Monk). Outwardly, he is a disabled homeless man leading a challenging existence. However, inwardly, we notice his calm and resolute actions; like ingenious rituals. It is here that we are compelled to question mankind's quest for materialism and status as a measure of success and happiness. Photographed over a one-year period in Rishikesh, India, this wordless portrait takes an anthropological approach to reveal the not so quiet daily life of a man that few neoshamans would dare to trade places with. This film could be read as strange voyeurism but can be best described as a critical homage to a country where exaltation and banality live in close proximity.