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Rashmi Choudhary

@rendezvouswithrashmi

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Post 6/6 — The Final Goodbye | Visarjan

And eventually, every celebration reaches its moment of goodbye.
After days of prayers, dhaak, dhunuchi, laughter, colour and celebration, the pandal begins to change. Maa Durga, who had presided over it all, is carefully lifted from her place and prepared for her final journey towards visarjan.

Watching the idol being carried away and loaded onto the truck felt strangely poignant. The same space that had been alive with people and festivities only moments before suddenly seemed to carry the weight of a farewell.
But perhaps that is what makes Durga Puja so beautiful. The goodbye is never quite final. Maa leaves with the promise of returning — Asche bochor abar hobe......

And with that, I come to the end of my little visual journey through Durga Puja — from the quiet details and rituals to the celebrations, Sindoor Khela and finally, this last journey.
The idol departs. The festivities end. The memories remain.

@dcdpbanglarparampara

#rendezvouswithrashmi #durgapuja #visarjan

(Durga Puja, Durga Puja Pandal, Visarjan, Asche bochor abar hobe) by @rendezvouswithrashmi

Post 5/6 — Sindoor Khela | The Colour of Farewell

And then comes Dashami — the day of farewell.

There is something beautifully paradoxical about Sindoor Khela. It marks the end of Durga Puja, and yet there is little about it that looks like an ending.

The dhaak beats on, the dhunuchi fills the air with smoke, prayers are offered to Maa Durga, and then the quiet ritual gives way to an unmistakable burst of red. Sindoor moves from the Goddess to foreheads, cheeks and faces, exchanged amidst laughter, embraces and blessings until almost everyone seems to wear the same colour.
Behind all that exuberance, though, is the knowledge that it is time to bid Maa Durga farewell — asche bochor abar hobe… until she returns again next year.

For me, photographing Sindoor Khela was less about documenting a ritual and more about capturing what happens around it — devotion, abandon, friendships, fleeting expressions, hands reaching out, faces disappearing beneath vermilion, and that wonderful collective joy that takes over the room.
A farewell, perhaps. But one painted in the brightest shade of red.

PS: Sharing a medley of images clicked by me across various years. Images from Pujo 2026 will be out soon.

#rendezvouswithrashmi #durgapuja #sindoorkhela by @rendezvouswithrashmi

Post 04/06 — Dhanuchi Dance

And then, the air fills with smoke, rhythm and movement…
One of the most vibrant sights of Durga Puja is the Dhunuchi Naach — a traditional devotional dance performed to the powerful beats of the dhak. Dancers hold earthen dhunuchis filled with burning coconut husk and incense, moving with them as fragrant smoke swirls through the space.

What fascinated me was how the ritual seemed to take on a different expression with every person — sometimes intense and almost meditative, sometimes graceful, sometimes exuberant and joyous. Men and women, young and old, each finding their own rhythm while remaining part of one collective celebration.
For a photographer, it was a beautiful chaos to witness — the gestures, the expressions, the rising smoke, the warmth of the fire and bodies constantly moving in and out of the frame.
Perhaps that is what I loved most about photographing it: nothing felt posed or performed for the camera. I was simply trying to catch those fleeting moments when devotion turned into movement, and movement became celebration.

#rendezvouswithrashmi #durgapujapandal #dhanuchi by @rendezvouswithrashmi

POST 3/6 — When it all comes alive

And finally, what began with clay, straw and a pair of skilled hands finds its place amidst light, colour, devotion and celebration.

The pandals are where all those individual elements come together. Some are grand and theatrical, others relatively understated; each has its own interpretation of Maa Durga, its own palette, architecture and character. But what fascinated me just as much as the installations themselves was the life unfolding around them.
The crowds waiting for darshan, priests immersed in rituals, the glow of the lamps, the sound of the dhak, offerings laid out for the Goddess, and the bhog that is such an integral part of the celebration — suddenly these are no longer just beautifully crafted idols in elaborate settings. The spaces are alive.

Through my camera, I wanted to capture both — the spectacle of the pandal and the quieter human moments within it. Because Durga Puja is not merely something one comes to see. It is something people gather to experience.
From the first handful of clay to the final act of worship, perhaps this is where the journey truly comes full circle.
#rendezvouswithrashmi #durgapuja #durgapujapandal by @rendezvouswithrashmi

POST 2/6 — From clay to character

Slowly, the clay begins to acquire a character of its own.
Faces become more defined. Fingers and feet take shape. Expressions emerge. Brushes and pigments appear, and colour begins to transform these earthen forms into the familiar figures we recognise.
This time, my camera moved closer. I found myself noticing the smaller details — an unfinished face, rows of clay feet, a hand waiting for its final gesture, brushes stained with colour, an artisan quietly working on an expression.
There is something compelling about seeing the idols at this stage — no longer merely clay, yet not quite the deities we finally encounter in the pandals. They still carry the imperfections, textures and unmistakable marks of the hands that created them.
Before we see the deity, we get to see the art, the craft and the artist.

#rendezvouswithrashmi #durgapuja #durgapujamurti by @rendezvouswithrashmi

This Durga Pujo, I begin my six-part series not with the celebration, but with where it all begins — in the hands of the artisans who bring the Goddess to life.

Post 1/6 : Where it all begins…..

Before the celebration, before the lights and the grandeur of the pandals, it all begins rather quietly — with earth, straw, bamboo and a pair of skilled hands.
Every year, months ahead of the festivities, artisans travel from Bengal to different parts of the country carrying with them skills passed down through generations. They leave their homes behind for months and make these temporary workshops their world.
Walking through the idol-makers’ workshops, I was fascinated by this world behind Durga Puja — artisans surrounded by clay, bamboo frameworks and half-formed figures, patiently building what will eventually become the centrepiece of the festivities.
At this stage, nothing is quite finished. Forms emerge from clay, figures stand alongside scaffolding and everyday life continues around them. What we eventually see as grandeur begins here — in modest workshops, through days of painstaking work and generations of craftsmanship.
Over the years, I have returned to these workshops with my camera, drawn as much to the hands creating the idols as to the idols themselves. These photographs are fragments collected across those visits — of the people, the process, the patience and the extraordinary craftsmanship that precede the grandeur we eventually see in the pandals.

#rendezvouswithrashmi #durgapuja #durgapujamurti #duggadugga #pujovibes by @rendezvouswithrashmi

And sometimes, the conversation with the camera happens without looking at it at all.
Coming back to Deepti to close this little series on portraits.
In the first frame, she looked straight into my lens — intense, assured, almost challenging the camera.
Here, the gaze shifts away.
And yet, the presence remains.

As a portrait photographer, this is the chemistry I look for. When the person in front of my camera trusts me enough to simply be, and I have the freedom to observe, wait and catch those subtle shifts in expression.
Same woman. Same styling. Same photographer.
And yet, an entirely different portrait.
Perhaps that is what continues to fascinate me about photographing people — there is never just one way to see someone.
And certainly never just one frame that can tell their whole story.

In frame: @deeptiriishi_official @queen_n_tonic
MUA: @oshnakathuriaofficial
Styled By: Rendezvous with Rashmi
Concept and Photography: Rendezvous with Rashmi
#RendezvousWithRashmi #portraitphotography #portraiture #fashionportraits #fashionstyling by @rendezvouswithrashmi

And then there are portraits that make you see someone differently.
Meet Piyali - A corporate professional in her everyday world — poised and accomplished
Put her in front of the camera, change the setting, play with the styling and light… and suddenly, another facet emerges.
Elegant. Glamorous. Assured. And looking every bit like she belongs on the pages of a fashion editorial.
This is something I have always loved about portrait photography. It isn’t necessarily about transforming a person into someone else. Quite the opposite.

Sometimes, it is about creating the space for them to discover — and reveal — another version of themselves.
The right light, the right styling, a little trust between the person and the photographer… and somewhere along the way, the self-consciousness disappears.

Corporate by profession.
Model for the moment.
Completely herself in both

In frame: @life.of.piya
MUA: @oshnakathuriaofficial
Concept and Photography: Rendezvous with Rashmi
#RendezvousWithRashmi #portraitphotography #portraiture #fashionportraitphotography #fashionphotography by @rendezvouswithrashmi

Some people pose for the camera. Some simply have a conversation with it.
Deepti belongs to the latter !!!

There is an ease with which she steps in front of my lens — no hesitation, no trying too hard. Just an instinctive awareness of the camera and an ability to give it something different with the slightest shift of her gaze.
And then there are those eyes.
Strong. Arresting. Almost challenging you to look away.

As a portrait photographer, these are the faces I love photographing — faces with character, personality and stories written into them. The silver in her hair, the bold jewellery, the textures and colours all add to the frame, but ultimately, it is her presence that makes the portrait.
Because the most interesting portraits are rarely just about how someone looks.
They are about that fleeting moment when the person in front of the camera stops posing — and simply owns the frame.
And Deepti… does that rather effortlessly.

In frame: @deeptiriishi_official @queen_n_tonic
MUA: @oshnakathuriaofficial
Styled By: Rendezvous with Rashmi
Concept and Photography: Rendezvous with Rashmi
#rendezvouswithrashmi #portraitphotography #portriatphotographer #fashionshoot by @rendezvouswithrashmi

A little moment of joy for me as a photographer !!

My photograph, “Life at Yamuna,” was selected for “Seeking Yamuna,” the photography exhibition held as part of the 7th Nadi Utsav @nadiutsav at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) @ignca_delhi New Delhi, from 24–26 September 2026.
This year, Nadi Utsav was dedicated to the Yamuna—exploring the river beyond its physical presence, through its history, ecology, culture, biodiversity, memories and the lives that have evolved around it. The three-day festival brought together photography, documentary films, seminars, art and cultural performances, creating a larger conversation around our rivers and their place in our collective heritage.
The festival was inaugurated by Shri Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, with Swami Avadheshanand Giri Ji and renowned Kathak exponent Smt. Shovana Narayan as Guests of Honour.

“Seeking Yamuna” began as an all-India call for photographs portraying the river and the many stories around it. Selected works were brought together and curated into an exhibition by @photocommune .
My image, Life at Yamuna, was made a few years ago on the banks of the river in Delhi. To me, the frame has always represented two parallel worlds—humans and animals, visually separated by a diagonal, yet sharing the same river and looking towards the same unfolding world.
It was special to see this photograph find a place amongst so many compelling interpretations of the Yamuna.
A heartfelt thank you to the Photocommune team @idrisphotography and @travelling_stree for the immense thought, effort and hard work that went into curating and putting together the exhibition so beautifully. And congratulations to all my fellow photographers whose works were displayed—each frame brought its own story, perspective and voice, and together they made the exhibition what it was.
Some photographs stay with you. And sometimes, years later, they find a new place to belong.
Image 06 credit : Shilpi
#rendezvouswithrashmi #nadiutsav #IGNCA #photocommune #yamuna by @rendezvouswithrashmi

And then there were the car rides! 😄 A bright Saturday morning, driving into downtown Boston, with three women (@eklami16 @r.e.e.n.a.s.a.i.n.i and yours truly) singing and dancing with absolutely no regard for tune, rhythm or dignity. I deliberately kept our original voices in this reel because, really, why sanitise memories this good? All three of us were equally terrible — the only shining star was @kshmittal (wait for him towards the end!), singing a song from one of the first movies we watched after college began. And just like that, the nostalgia hit differently.
As for the kids travelling with us… their expressions say it all. They adored us at times, laughed at us at others, and were probably thoroughly embarrassed by us in between. But I guess that’s what happens when old friends get together after years — you forget your age, pick up exactly where you left off, and for a little while, you’re back to being those carefree college kids again. ❤️

With this, I wrap up my travel diaries for now …time to get back to work 📷

#rendezvouswithrashmi #traveldiaries #nostalgia #friendforever by @rendezvouswithrashmi

Hey, Insta family! It seems quite a few of you noticed that I had gone a little quiet on the ’gram for almost a month — thank you for all the lovely DMs checking in on me. Just wanted to pop in and say that I’m absolutely well! ❤️
I was away in the US, primarily to drop my elder son off at university as he begins his undergrad journey at UT Austin this year. So yes… there was the whole mom chapter of dropping him, helping him move in, getting him settled and eventually learning to walk away and let him begin this new adventure on his own.
And since I had travelled halfway across the world, I decided to make the most of it! I spent the next couple of weeks hopping between Dallas, Boston and New Jersey, catching up with some of my closest friends from my engineering college days. Three decades later, there was still endless conversation, reunions, lots of laughter, food, wandering around, retail therapy, some absolute silliness — and that wonderful feeling of picking up exactly where we had left off.
It was a trip filled with many emotions — a little letting go, a lot of reconnecting, and plenty of memories to bring back home.
So, here’s a little recap of my three weeks away from home… swipe along! ✈️🇺🇸

#rendezvouswithrashmi #traveldiaries by @rendezvouswithrashmi