Kanishka Sonthalia

A visual log of thoughts, works in progress and completed works. Documentary Photographer

Identity Politics

A BJP supporter sets up the mu...lection results were disclosed.

A BJP supporter sets up the music system before the Lok Sabha election results were disclosed.

Identity politics is inevitable in democracies, however, it is articulated through a persistent sense of discrimination and oppression along the axis of defining one identity from the other. Rather than understanding oneself as having diverse and multiple identities, Indians are provoked to support political parties based on their religious identity. The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) experimented with this unique mix of caste and religion-driven politics in 2014 and has cemented it in 2019. This body of work explores these phenomena from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency; Varanasi, India.

Devotees take a dip in the holy River Ganga in Varanasi, India.

A broken front of a temple nex...living there since generations.

A broken front of a temple next to Kashi Vishwanath Temple. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is widely recognized as one of the most important places of worship in the Hindu religion. The Kashi Vishwanath Corridor Project announced in March 2018 is an initiative aimed at giving the temple an undiluted visual prominence and providing pilgrims uncongested roads from the temple to the ghats which in turn has jeopardized livelihoods of hundreds of people who have been living there since generations.

"He has taken away th... Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.

"He has taken away the soul of this temple by tearing apart all the houses and temples that lead to the river," says Geeta Devi, a pilgrim who traveled nearly 1000 kilometers with her sons to visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.

A cow stands still around crem...n Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi.

A cow stands still around cremated bodies on Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi.

A BJP supporter celebrates Pri...arendra Modi's victory.

A BJP supporter celebrates Prime Minister Narendra Modi's victory.

Voters head to cast their vote...national elections in Varanasi.

Voters head to cast their votes at the Karnataka Guest House on Hanuman Ghat during the seventh and final phase of voting for national elections in Varanasi.

Voters stand in a queue at the...Tola Inter College in Varanasi.

Voters stand in a queue at the Bengali Tola Inter College in Varanasi.

Two men look over a funeral ri...mp;quot; says a cow shed owner.

Two men look over a funeral ritual at Manikarnika Ghat. "This ghat is very sacred to our Hindu culture. It is a gateway to heaven for those who are cremated here. I have spent all my life on this ghat. On average I see around 100 to 150 bodies being cremated each day. In the midst of these elections, for the first time ever, I have seen a political party dishonoring the sanctity of this ghat by erecting a flag of their party," says a cow shed owner.

"There are two kinds ... a social start-up in Varanasi.

"There are two kinds of people in Varanasi; one who are blind fans of Modi, an exact impact of a 5000 crore marketing campaign and there is another part that is disappointed with Modi who exactly know that his ideologies are not right and this is not how you win elections and run a government, but they remain silent. If you don't have a strong social standing and if you vocalize your dissent then there is a fear of social boycott, unnecessary confrontation, and humiliation", says Sana Sabah, co-founder of a social start-up in Varanasi.

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Identity Politics

Copyright Kanishka Sonthalia 2025

Date of Work May 2019 - Jun 2019

Updated Feb 2020

Topics Documentary, Essays, Photography, Photojournalism, Portraiture, Street

Kanishka Sonthalia / New York

Feb 1, 2018 - Ongoing

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