Passion in Paradise

Passion in Paradise was my my final project for my MA in Photojournalism at the University of Westminster in 2011. It was published as a book by local publisher Goa 1556 in India in 2012.
Most people, foreign and Indian, think of Goa as a place of unlimited sun, sea and sand, where beaches and the famous laid-back lifestyle, or sossegado, awaits. But behind this facade lies a different kind of Goa. Most of its people, no matter what their creed, are devoutly religious and have strong ties to their cultural traditions. Faith in its various forms plays a major role in the lives of most Christians and Hindus. Passion in Paradise explores the lives of Catholics in Goa today and aims to describe the way people live their faith.
This books depicts the symbolism which plays such an important role in the way the Catholic faith is practiced by Goans today. Its images show the celebration of customs on special days as well as the lived faith in everyday simple rituals.
The project also documents various Hindu-Catholic syncretic practices that Goans engage in and aims to explain how and why these came into existence.
Passion in Paradise represents the author’s first steps in a journey through the fascinating complexity that is Catholicism in contemporary Goa.