Photo Essay

EDEN THROUGH THE WOODS

DYUTIMAN MUKHOPADHYAY PHOTOGRAPHY

‘Imagine you arrive at Eden—

Through the woods.

Tell me what you see.

I'm at the bridge.

It's evening.

Almost no birds can be heard.

The water is running without a sound.

Darkness comes early down here.

I walk into it.

The littIe deer...

Are hiding among the ferns...

As usual.

Is it difficult to waIk there?

No—

Not really.

In fact, it's almost okay.

In among the trees...

On the slope...

Is the oId fox hole.

How do you feel there?

I can't really tell.

It should be easy passing...

And yet...

It's like walking through mud.

The trunk is thick.

The tree rots so slowly.

It has some strange kind of personality.

I've aIways felt that.

Now—

Where are you? Are you—

Are you heading for the cabin?

Yes, I am.

I'm walking up the path...

Through the tall grass.

No, don't go in.

Don't go in.

It's the outside you're afraid of.

Now look around.

No.

Lie down on the green.

You want me to lie down?

Lie down on the grass.

On top of all the plants?

—Y-Yes, lie down on the plants.

Are you lying down?

Yes.

Good.

What is everything like around you?

Green.

It's all very green.

Good.

Now will you do what I ask you?

Yes.

What do you want me to do?

I want you...

To melt into the green.

Don't fight it.

Just turn green.

No matter what happens,

You were there, you did it.

Let fear come if it likes.

Remember...

What the mind can conceive and believe,

It can achieve.’

— from the film Antichrist (2009) directed by Lars von Trier.

— Photograph, November 14, 2023; The Botanical Gardens, Ooty, Karnataka, India.

Camera—Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro.