RESTING ACADEMY: SEASON II

SONGS OF THE JACKALS

By Jyoti Shrestha
Photographs by: Arun, Bastian, Jyoti, Devjyoti, Ratheesh, Shashwat

We have a theory: it’s called the Resting Academy because there was absolutely no rest. Six months of relentless creativity—photographing, reflecting, experimenting, failing, and trying again supported by mentors who helped us push through our creative blocks. It almost sounds unreal, but that’s exactly how Resting Academy Season II was.

Looking back, countless memories flood in, but two moments stand out: our 3-months residency at Anandi Bari in Makardah, West Bengal, and our Open Studio exhibition Phosphenes in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Tucked away on the fringes of Kolkata, Anandi Bari became our sanctuary. We stayed in a secluded Garden House, surrounded by lush greenery, where we were immersed in research, reflection, and long conversations. The space had everything—pukur, rare monsteras, monitor lizards, birds, snakes, and an atmosphere so calm it felt like a different world. And each night, as the jackals sang, we were reminded to slow down, to listen, and to truly see.

Rohan Chakravarty, our host, welcomed us with such warmth that Anandi quickly felt like home. Panna da, Koruna didi, Kartik, Dilip da, Shamul da, Buddho—and of course, Rohan’s pack of dogs: Lotorpotor, Mili, Milli’s puppies, TinTin, Maya, and Carlo—made the place feel like family. We arrived on the day of Kali Puja, and Makardah greeted us with vibrant pandals and fireworks, setting the tone for what was to come.

This season brought together ten photographers from across the globe:

Abir Gangopadhyay (India), Arunkumar Marimuthu (India), Bastian Betz (Germany), Jyoti Shrestha (Nepal), Leslie Searles Mejia (Peru), Paul-Jonas Stender (Germany), Prerna Nainwal (India), Ratheesh Sundaram (India), Reem Falaknaz (UAE), and Shashwat Das (India)—ranging in age from 26 to 46, each incredibly gifted.

It’s rare to find adult friendships that feel like family. We learned as much from each other as we did from our mentors. Anandi became a shared studio, home, and classroom.

The Sound of an Image:  Moushumi Bhowmik

Moushumi Bhowmik’s session opened with a whisper and ended in tears. Her presence was grounding, her voice ethereal. Through her Travelling Archive and Sounds from Prisoners projects, she taught us to listen to the absence and presence in sound. We were asked to bring a sound that felt like a memory: from the ticking of home clocks to childhood movie scenes. It changed how we saw and listened to our images.

Also—Milli gave birth to five puppies that week

Photography and… : Shuddhabrata Sengupta

From sound to spirit photography, Shuddha took us deeper into abstraction. With The Case for Spirit Photography in one hand and a poem in the other, he reminded us that photographers don’t always need to be protagonists—we can be the unnoticed, the NPCs. His assignments were strange and beautiful: shoot with your eyes closed, follow colors, collect forgotten things. We rediscovered why we picked up the camera in the first place.

Stage & Light: Rohan Chakravarty

Rohan brought our eyes back to the visible. We each studied two photographers based on our styles—from Nan Goldin to Hiroshi Sugimoto. We learned to decode the languages of light and how photographers stage meaning. Then we created a short body of work—open theme, open style. Some brought back photos of teapots, others wandered ghats. We began to shoot with awareness, intention, and new clarity

Songs from Jackals: Bharat Sikka

This was a bootcamp. Bharat started by saying, “I don’t know how to teach, so let’s go out and shoot.” His assignments were intense: 10 photos a day in 4x5 format, in B&W, plus collages, object collections, studio shoots, sculpture. We studied artists like Lorenzo Vitturi and Daniel Gordon—most of us hadn’t heard of them before. We made zines—individual and collaborative—and surprised ourselves with what we created. Exhausted, yes. Inspired, definitely.

On the Road: Sarker Protick

The next challenge: 10 days to travel and shoot a new body of work. One participant biked, another rode trains through Darjeeling, some traveled with performers, others explored ghats or searched for the unseen. Protick taught us how to sequence, how editing changes meaning, and how choosing the first image can shape the whole story.

Editing: Munem Wasif

Editing became storytelling. Munem compared it to cooking: “Editing is putting images together so that it functions—like biryani.” Each edit has its own flavor, style, structure. He showed us examples, strategies, and gave us the freedom to explore. Most of us had never edited seriously before—it was messy, eye-opening, and necessary.

Later that week, we were joined by Riti Sengupta, Debshuddho, and Taniya Sarkar, who shared their works and practices. We celebrated with a barbecue and drinks, joined by alumni.

And then—we disappeared to shoot for the next two months.