A. Ragnauth: Expanding the Frame

Growing up Hindu, certain things became so familiar that I stopped thinking about them. The sound of prayers, the smell of incense, sitting through poojas (prayers) with family, going to mandir. They became normal parts of life, but photographing a pooja made me look at those familiar moments differently.

This week, Rooted in Culture moved into its first full cultural story centered around faith and community. I captured photographs from a Hindu pooja to document not only the ceremony itself, but the people, details, and moments surrounding it. While editing, I realized that the photographs tell more than one story. Some images focused on the larger gathering and religious practices, while others felt more personal and connected to family, memory, and tradition.

That realization changed the way I planned the Instagram feed. I initially planned on moving from one topic to another with every post. Instead, I decided to create small story blocks, allowing multiple posts to explore one theme from different perspectives. For this set, I created two photography carousels, Faith & Community and What We Carry, with an educational post about faith in Indo-Caribbean culture between them.

My research into Indo-Caribbean migration and identity also made me think more about cultural continuity. Traditions can travel across countries and generations while continuing to create a sense of connection and belonging. I grew up in a fairly religious household, my grandma the most religious. However, growing up religion didn’t mean much to me, but now as an adult I look forward to attending mandir (temple), attending poojas, or even doing one myself. This week reminded me that sometimes what we look for most in life are the things we’ve seen our entire lives but never stopped long enough to really look at.