Written by: Aiman Javed
Posted on: April 06, 2018 | 
| 中文
Deosai Plains
‘Colors of Deosai – A Wonderland of Pakistan,’ is a coffee table photography book, by Arif Amin and Ghulam Rasool. Both photographers have extensive experience and are highly respected in their field. While Arif Amin and Ghulam Rasool previously published a book on Birds of Pakistan, Ghulam Rasool has also been working with WWF Pakistan on their Pakistan Wetlands Programme.
The book takes you on a journey through Deosai’s different areas and the scenery of the 3000 sq. km area, as it undergoes a cycle of seasons. Deosai National Park, the land of the giants, is the second highest plateau in the world, with an elevation of 4,114 meters. The area features a variety of flora, such as the Asian Bell Flower, Pink Sedum and Golden Ragworts, and fauna including the Brown Bear, Red Fox, Stoat, Pika and Marmot, all captured in their natural habitat by the photographers. The book begins at the confluence of the three mountain ranges, Himalayas, Hindu Kush and Karakorams, and ends on images of Deosai in winters.
Recently, at Serena Hotel, Islamabad, the 84 pages long book was launched by Engro Foods. Published under their Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, the coffee table book intends to stress the importance of the fragile ecosystem of the area, which is consistently under threat due to pollution, climate change and increased tourist activity. The strength of the photography cannot to be denied, since the images do justice to the breathtaking beauty of Deosai, and motivate the reader to visit as well as value this wonderland. The skill exhibited by the photographers is a testament to how far nature and wildlife photography has come in Pakistan.
While the information compiled with the photographs successfully conveys the symbiotic relationship of the animals and plants, it does little to delineate the threats faced by them. Facts, figures and photographs could have been provided about the ongoing damage to the ecosystem, but the book remains focused on enchanting images of the area. As a reader, I wanted to learn far more from this book about the region but none of the pictures have captions underneath them, and the names of flora and fauna have to be located in the accompanying paragraphs (occasionally not mentioned.)
As a reader, one also feels the need to know which photograph can be credited to which photographer. While the efforts of the contributing photographers, Awais Ali Sheikh and Ali Javed have been fully acknowledged, they ought to have been credited for each photograph contributed. As Arif Amin said during the launch, without their significant images of the Himalayan Brown Bear, the book would have been incomplete.
According to Engro management, the ‘Colors of Deosai’ is a first in a series of books that the company intends to publish about Pakistan. It provides the reader with captured moments of serenity, as the reader gets lost in the diverse beauty of Deosai. Here is to hoping Engro Foods will extend its initiative and take steps towards environmental protection and rehabilitation, undoing the damage oftentimes caused, ironically by irresponsible corporations.
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