To boost Indian tourism, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has collaborated with the Phra Nakhon District Office and many partners to organise "Amazing Thailand Grand Diwali Festival 2025" on Pahurat Road and Ong Ang Walking Street until Oct 31.
Diwali is known as festival of lights, which is also celebrated by non-Hindu communities in India and other countries. Activities at Bangkok's Little India include lighting using cutting edge technology, Thai-Indian cultural exchange performances, tasting Indian cuisine, shopping for Indian products and worshipping the deities Lakshmi and Ganesha for good fortune.
The event also presents the photography exhibition "At The Heart Of Faith: A Portrait Of Bangkok's Indian Community", which displays the compelling work of Samatcha Apaisuwan, an independent street photographer. Instead an art gallery, the exhibition is being showcased at four installations across the Pahurat and Klong Ong Ang areas.
"I have been interested in projects that involve communities, so I feel that this is a great opportunity. I initially planned to rent an abandoned building to showcase the collection, but the building was built with a partition wall which is not what I had in mind. I then saw posters on empty walls in communities and that inspired me to showcase my work like posters. It was an experiment and the BMA supported the idea," explained Samatcha.
"This project allowed me to explore Pahurat which is an area that I was familiar with when I was a student at Suankularb Wittayalai School. It has changed a lot and now has many cafes and modern vibes. I felt great walking through Pahurat and experiencing new things, especially visiting the Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha [Sikh Temple]."
The highlights of "At The Heart Of Faith" are two photograph collections taken by Samatcha. The first collection, "Connect: From Bharat To Siam", was taken in 2024 across cities in Rajasthan in northwestern India, particularly Jaipur, as well as smaller towns like Nawalgarh and Mandawa in the Shekhawati region, which is renowned worldwide as an open-air art gallery. Some parts of the collection showcased at Bangkok Design Week 2025, but since there are plenty of photos which had not been seen yet, Samatcha decided to display them at this exhibition.
The other collection was taken in Pahurat. Although these two collections were photographed in different countries, they blend together. Samatcha commented that because he focused on portraits of daily life, these photographs do not look very different.
Many Thais are familiar with Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, better known as Wat Khaek. This photo collection introduces Thai people to the Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha (Sikh Temple). It impressed Samatcha the most while working on the project.
"People in the Sikh community are very nice. I had no idea that they welcome everyone regardless of race or religion. Free vegetarian food is distributed in the temple's kitchen. Their food is so delicious. There are classrooms upstairs which open on weekends for children. Anyone can attend to learn English and Indian without charge," said Samatcha.
"I believe the Indian community is strong because there is a centre like the Sikh temple. Many people come to volunteer at the temple even though they are rich. Some of them put visitors' shoes in lockers or collect and wash dishes."
Samatcha visited India the first time last year. He had had no intention of going there until his wife showed him a programme on the cities Nawalgarh and Mandawa that feature havelis, which are large historical mansions.
"I am interested in architecture and havelis are traditional mansions owned by merchant families from the past. Some parts of the cities are areas along the old Silk Road which was a trade route between Europe, Asia and China. Inside the havelis there are frescoes, mural paintings made on wet plaster."
Samatcha enjoyed taking photographs in India a lot. He felt that Indian people were authentic. They maintain their own lifestyle.
"Because of social media, people in big cities have similar ways of life. They eat the same food, wear the same clothes and live the same lifestyle. I think it is boring. When I visit tourist attractions in big cities, I feel that everything looks the same," explained Samatcha.
"However, I felt that Indian people were natural. They express themselves in a way that I like. I like their colours. Every place was colourful. They even sit on the floor while working. I was wowed by their colourful clothes and headscarves. They did not follow social media trends. They were free to express themselves. This made them so authentic."
Samatcha was also delighted to visit havelis in the Shekhawati region.
"My wife and I went into some havelis and the staff explained to us that men had their business talk in a courtyard or a room and women had to stay in an area for them. There might be a small window where the women could leave food and drinks for the men. Haveli uniqueness lies in their Indian style frescoes with European techniques," he explained.
"Some havelis display paintings of Christian saints. It is probable the owners married Europeans or are familiar with European merchants. Another interesting aspect of their urban planning is their streets, which feature straight blocks like a European city. Mandawa must have prospered in the past as a city located on a trade route."
Samatcha travelled to many countries before, so he could easily adjust himself to the environment of India. Thai people may hear a lot of negative comments regarding Indian people, but Samatcha was comfortable around them.
"I am impressed with Indians; they are gentle and natural. I have never experienced anyone aggressive. I did not feel that I had to be careful. My guide would worry when Indian people surrounded me because I had cameras, but I was not afraid of them; I could feel that they were friendly and gentle. When they wanted me to photograph them, their poses were still natural."
The only moment that surprised Samatcha was when he was in Jaipur where the traffic was heavy and every driver honked non-stop.
"I learned that there were signs on the back of vehicles telling drivers to honk because the honk was to warn that vehicles were moving. Thus, honking can prevent accidents, so no-one gets mad about it."
Although Samatcha planned to exhibit his photographs outdoor, he was worried rain may cause the photographs to get wet and damaged.
"I hope the photos will not be ruined quickly since there is still rain these days. For me, the exhibition is an experiment.
"I saw a wall covered with many posters and thought if I could display my photos like this it would be cool. There is no need to put the photos in frames or worry that they will get wrinkled. If any photos get damaged, I will replace them with others. I took numerous photos; I have many replacements."
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).