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Em. No. Nahi: photobook, notebook
Tarun Bhartiya was a photographer, editor, poet and filmmaker from Meghalaya, India. His work documents the resistance to Uranium mining in Meghalaya over 20 years. Em/No/ नहीं’ is the name of his exhibition of this work, which he showed just before his death in 2024, which inspires this eponymous book.
Idyll and incidents, just like life
Tarun Bhartiya’s pictures of idyllic studies of Khasi village life, set alongside charged incidents loaded with the energy of resistance, tell the story here. The design, soft textured cover, and the intimate size are inspired by the idea of this book being a notebook journaling 20 years.
Typography and dialogue
Khasi and English texts run in parallel throughout. Different typeface—slab serif for Khasi and Sans serif for English—are used to acknowledge the languages and aid the reader. The typefaces were specially modified for the titling in the sections of the book. The perturbed letters create a feeling of disturbance. A diamond shaped O draws the attention of the reader to it.
A guide to organise, designed for transmission
A loose booklet—A Short Guide to Uranium Mining, put together by Tarun Bhartiya—designed in the mode of widely distributed pamphlets, decorated with stickers carrying the image widely associated with the anti-uranium protests in Meghalaya.
The cover as a monument of resistance
The diamond shaped ‘O’ from inside is employed on the cover. The words ‘Em. No. नहीं’ are lettered in white, set on a black cover. A red matra over ह adds charge to the quiet reflective mood on the cover.
sharepartner-in-charge & creative director itu chaudhuri | design concept itu chaudhuri, ashok dey, ayushmaan agarwalla | design itu chaudhuri, ashok dey | cover design itu chaudhuri | website visuals raghav wadhwa
