DORI – Special Edition by Kaamna Patel

Ba & Dada were paired together by their parents in Gujarat when they were 3 & 5 years old respectively. Now aged 94 & 96, their relationship is still evolving albeit the limbo that a long and healthy life leaves you in.

Dori (thread) looks to bind questions on love and family by observing an important relationship that the author grew up with as a child within a joint family, that of her grandparents. Incorporating her images with family archives and conversations, the book stands testament to a life shared between two strangers who met as children, and of their love through the ages.

The book dummy was shortlisted for the Kassel Dummy Awards 2019.

The special edition of 50 comes wrapped in a piece of Ba’s saree with Piko edges, a stitching technique that is standard practice after buying a saree to protect the edges.

About Kaamna Patel

Kaamna Patel is a visual artist and bookmaker currently based in Mumbai, her home city. After graduating with a degree in English Literature, she began her career as an assistant to fashion photographer Farrokh Chothia in Mumbai. In 2010 she received a scholarship to study photography at Parsons The New School of Design Paris, now called Paris College of Art, where she is currently the ambassador in Asia, Australia, and the Middle East and a member of the Board.

Kaamna launched her publishing imprint JOJO with her book In Today’s News: Alpha Males Women Power in Mumbai in May 2019. JOJO is now present worldwide and has expanded its activities into a photobook library and other peripheral activities related to contemporary lens-based practices, particularly in India.