Travel photographer Danial Shah exhibits the 'other side' of Pakistan

Shah exhibits work at T2F to show that there is more to life than office life and driving a Mercedes

KARACHI: Travel photographer Danial Shah’s exhibition ‘The Other Side’ is likely to transport you to all the breathtaking sites across Pakistan.

On display at The Second Floor's Farrar Gallery, Shah’s photographs cover all corner of the country from the scorching Tharparkar to chilly Attabad Lake, and from the humid Manora Island to breezy Chilinji Glacier in Gilgit-Baltistan.

PHOTO: UMER SHEIKH

“I am proud of my Pakistan; the Pakistan I have experienced and felt during my elongated travels,” Shah said.

The photographer, whose works have appeared in a number of international and local publications, went on to explain how his perception of the country changed after his travels. “Throughout my school life, I was told that Pakistan had four provinces where four languages were spoken. It was after years of traveling that I came to know that this was not true. There are tens of thousands of people who live together and speak different languages in this amazing, diverse culture. This is what I discovered. And this is my Pakistan because I got to know it through a lot of hard work,” he said.

PHOTO: UMER SHEIKH

PHOTO: UMER SHEIKH

Shah launched Pakistan’s first travel blog in 2010 to document his experience as well as stories behind each of his clicks.

For his laudable work, Shah was awarded the Nishan-e-Azm (symbol of pride) in 2011.

When asked what inspired him to document Pakistan through photographs, he said, “I think it was ordained by God. Life has to have a purpose. Life is more than just serving at an office and traveling in your Mercedes. It’s more than that.”

Exhibited photo of Danial Shah.

Exhibited photo of Danial Shah.

Hopeful that one day such exhibitions are held in open areas accessible to people from all walks of life, irrespective of their class, Shah said he chose to hold his exhibition at the T2F in memory of his late friend Sabeen Mahmud.

“Sabeen always asked me to arrange an exhibition and we were almost on the verge of doing so when she was assassinated,” he recalled.

However, the photographer said he plans on holding his next exhibition in Karachi's Saddar so that labourers and factory workers and so on can come and see his work, which revolves around their lives.

Exhibited photo of Danial Shah.

Exhibited photo of Danial Shah.

Exhibited photo of Danial Shah.