Matthew Birch Media Matthew Birch Media TRAVEL | ADVENTURE | PHOTOJOURNALISM | FILMMAKING

Photos shot on 35mm

Kashmir is part of a union territory that is occupied by India and has been the centre of an extremely complex, violent, and ongoing struggle over disputed territory. It was the event of India’s independence in 1947 which sparked decades of violence and three wars in the area to date. Occupied by over half a million Indian troops alone, according to the BBC Kashmir is one of the most militarised areas in the world. My good friends Shanu and Sahil were in Delhi and were leaving the following day back to their home in Srinagar, Kashmir, and invited me to go with them, but I wondered if I was being blissfully ignorant to the situation that I was getting myself into... I decided to have trust and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life, and I am so grateful to have been warmly welcomed into the homes of others and was given the most generous hospitality. It was an authentic experience in a beautiful part of the world that I will treasure forever. 

"A good traveller is one that does not know where he is going, but has the trust it will be great."