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Hardeep Singh

@starrysolace

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After all, we're all just stories, waiting to be told. 🦄
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Founder @queercollectivedehradun

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A day in Delhi and a walking tour of Connaught Place with a wonderful soul

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📱 PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP | RECAP

On Sunday, September 6, Darpan hosted a Phone Photography Workshop at Kala Kendra, facilitated by our member Hardeep Singh.

The workshop began with a look at the basics of photography—from the origins of the word ‘photography’ and the democratisation of image-making through smartphones to the myth of expensive equipment and Henri Cartier-Bresson’s idea of The Decisive Moment.

Participants were introduced to key technical concepts such as exposure, contrast, dynamic range and white balance, followed by a discussion on composition and how thoughtful framing can make an image more visually compelling.

The classroom learning then moved outdoors. During a 45-minute breakout session, participants put these ideas into practice, photographing their surroundings using nothing but their phones.

Back at Kala Kendra, everyone shared their favourite photographs for a group review. Hardeep looked at each image closely, pointing out what worked - whether it was composition, light, framing or the moment captured - while offering practical suggestions on how the photograph could be strengthened. The feedback gave participants a chance to look at their own images differently and understand how small changes in the way they see and frame can make a big difference.

It was an afternoon of learning, experimenting and seeing familiar surroundings with fresh eyes. 📱📸

Here are some photographs made by the participants during the breakout session.

Darpan Doon Photo Collective, phone photography, mobile photography, smartphone photography, photography workshop, photography basics, visual storytelling, creative photography, composition, exposure, dynamic range, white balance, decisive moment, photo walk, photography critique, image making, framing, smartphone camera, Dehradun photography, Kala Kendra

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📱 See Differently. Shoot Creatively.

Your phone is already a camera. The real question is: what can you see through it?

Join Darpan -- Doon Photo Collective, for an engaging Phone Photography Workshop at Kala Kendra, facilitated by writer and photographer Hardeep Singh.

With a background in photography and visual communication, Hardeep brings a thoughtful approach to making images—one that looks beyond expensive equipment and focuses instead on seeing, composing and telling stories through photographs.

Whether you’re someone who casually photographs your everyday surroundings or you’re looking to take your phone photography a little more seriously, this workshop is an opportunity to explore the creative possibilities of the camera you carry with you every day.

📅 Sunday, September 6
⏰ 3:00 PM – 6:30 PM
📍 Kala Kendra, Dehradun
🎟️ ₹500/-
📲 Limited seats | Register via WhatsApp/SMS: +91 95577 71160

Come with your phone, your curiosity, and a willingness to look at familiar things a little differently.

Let’s make better photographs—with the camera already in our hands.

[Darpan Doon Photo Collective, phone photography, mobile photography, photography workshop, smartphone photography, visual storytelling, photography, composition, creative photography, Dehradun, Kala Kendra, Hardeep Singh]

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Something’s brewing. ☕👀

A little coffee, a lot of ideas, and a Darpan table full of plans, possibilities and the occasional “what if…?”

We’re cooking up something for you. More soon. 🌿📸

Keywords: Darpan Doon Photo Collective, Photography, Workshop, Creative Community, Dehradun, Visual Storytelling, Creative Collaborations, Something’s Brewing

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On Independence Day (August 15) last week, we at Queer Collective Dehradun joined hands with Darpan -- Doon Photo Collective, to organise a screening of the film 'Roohrangi,' directed by Tusharr Madhavv, at Budaan, at Dalanwala, Dehradun.

Roohrangi explored the themes of belonging, freedom, desire, kinship, ancestry, camaraderie, etc. with a queer twist. The film was very well received by the audience. The screening was followed by an interactive Q&A session where Tusharr answered each question meticulously.

It was a truly befitting way to celebrate this year's Independence Day. We sincerely thank Budaan for hosting us, the awesome people at Darpan for being the perfect collaborators, and especially Tusharr who not only agreed to let us screen Roohrangi, but also travelled to Dehradun all the way from his hometown Lucknow for the screening.

We are looking forward to more such meaningful collaborations in the future.

Except the group photos on the first slide, all photographs have been made by Hardeep (@starrysolace) 📷

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On behalf of the Doon Photo Collective, it was great to attend the screening of Tusharr Madhavv's beautifully evocative, poignant and, I should add, courageous film 'Roohrangi'.

My thanks to @doonbloom and @antardrishya , my fellow collective members and to everyone who showed up and made the evening special by staying back and interacting with Tusharr.

Through 'Roohrangi', Tusharr explores difficult themes of queer identity, memory, belonging while asking what it means to be in spaces where one can simply be oneself.

Incidentally, it also felt especially meaningful to watch a film about identity and the freedom to be oneself on India's Independence Day !

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I have always been afraid of sharing my deepest thoughts with the world at large. In this case, I'm referring to the online world.

2026 has been a year where I am actively shedding my inhibitions. So here you go, world! 😀

A BIG thanks to my dear friend Atul (@atulsarsi) for recording this video. ^_^

And more gratitude to Isha (@notalwaysisha), Yash, Jyoti, Aakash (@khamosh.insaan) and the rest of their team at the Dehradun Chapter of @kommuneoffline and @malang.openmic for organising an evening of poetry at @cafe7ate9 yesterday. It was a lovely evening. ✨️

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always the best time, with the best people 🫶🏻🥰

[bookclubs, dehradun, dehradun literature festival, ddlf, literature, khuli kitaab, people of dehradun, things to do in dehradun]

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The Darpan members meet-up at @tavaasacafe
Such interesting conversations, ideas, plans and a whole lot of fun just getting together!

darpanphotocollective, darpan, photocollective, photographycommunity, photographymeetup, photographersmeet, creativecommunity, artcommunity, tavaasa, tavaasacafe, dehradun, dehraduncafe, creativeconversations, creativepeople, visualculture, instagood, memories

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July has been a tumultuous month. With widespread crackdown on peaceful expression, it has been a struggle to remain calm.

However, during such difficult times, it is important that we take care of our health and well-being. Feeling angry and frustrated during difficult life situations is natural, but we should try and not let these emotions overtake our entire life.

With this thought in mind, I'm facilitating an online group breathwork session tomorrow, i.e., on Saturday, August 1, at 5 PM IST. The session will be held via Zoom, and will last about 40 minutes.

Factoring in the time taken to introduce myself and my breathwork practice in the beginning, and conducting grounding activities to conclude the session, the total duration will be about 1.5 hours.

The energy exchange for the session is ₹499/-

To register, please contact me at +919557771160 via WhatsApp / SMS.

Let's breathe together and learn how to be in a state of calm during difficult times.

#BreatheWithHardeep

[Mental Health, Breathwork Facilitator Dehradun, Online Event, Peace of Mind, Student Protest]

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आंखों देखी - This scrawny young man was manhandled by 3 policemen, beaten with a baton by one of them, the baton swung so hard on his hip that his jeans tore & phone broke. His fault? The aspiring content-creator was shooting a video of the goings-on.
He later revealed between sobs that he is a delivery boy and had saved up for months to buy the phone and now without a phone, his only source of income is gone too. 💔
Some of us offered to help with whatever cash we were carrying (UPI wasn't working due to internet shutdown) but he refused to accept. He was more outraged about the injustice than his phone breaking.

When I asked the Policeman why he hit the boy for zero fault, he had no answer, merely laughed, mumbled something and walked away... and there was no way to identify him as the name-badge was missing, obviously.

Saw so many more such stories unfolding all around.
Video Courtesy - Rahul Khera

#chalosansad
#sonamwangchuk
#jantarmantar

[20th July, Chalo Sansad, Jantar Mantar, Peaceful Protest, Youth Movement, Death Of Democracy, Sonam Wngchuk, Parliament March, Back Day, Policeman, Delhi Police, Youngster]

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The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill 2026 has caused pan-India uproar among queer-trans communities and allies owing to its deeply problematic and regressive mandate.

The bill defines a transgender person in the most skewed way, disregarding the right to self-determination that was upheld by the Supreme Court in the NALSA judgement of 2014. In doing so, the bill has caused panic, stress and anxiety amongst the trans and gender diverse communities across the country.

Queer-trans and allied groups in Dehradun like The Misfyt (@themisfyt), Kinvana (@kinvana_official), The Voice of Warriors (@the_voice_of_warriors), The Khilna Collective (@thekhilnacollective) and others have come together to oppose the bill. Please join us in our efforts to raise awareness about the implications of the bill and fight back.

We request you to educate yourself and others around you about the bill, join @againsttransbill's initiative to send an email to the respective MP in your constituency and amplify social media posts that highlight this issue. We just can't afford to go backwards after all that the queer movement has achieved in India so far.

#RejectTransBill2026 #NoGoingBack #BillToKacchaHaiJi #QueersAgainstFascism

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