Celebrating the beauty of humankind and seeing good in ourselves as keys to sustainability

May 30

What happens when you decide to look beyond the mainstream portrayal of reality to alternative perspectives? And with info-overload, how can you be a creator who helps to push our dialogues forward and deeper, rather than just adding to the noise? On this episode, I chat with award-winning photographer, author, and designer, Mukul Bhatia of @FoundinTranslations.

In 2014, Mukul stepped outside his home country of India and in a super short span of time, travelled to over 20 countries into very remote places that tourists don't usually step foot in, shedding light on alternative narratives to mainstream ideas on topics like gender, sustainability, social impact, etc. Let's dive in.

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This is a conversation on Green Dreamer Podcast with Kaméa Chayne, a show exploring environmental and intersectional sustainability from ideas to life. Subscribe to Green Dreamer on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or any podcast app and let’s learn what it takes to thrive in every sense of the word!

Highlights

[02:45] "I was always the odd one out. I was definitely the black sheep of the family... I knew I saw the world in a different light than what mainstream cinema or media [portrayed]."

[03:55] How Mukul's name "@FoundinTranslations" came about and what that means.

[04:30] Mukul: "There are so many things that are usually lost in translation, but one thing I found in my journey… was receiving kindness [from every place I travelled to].

[05:25] Kaméa: "Traveling around the world doing photography sounds like an amazing job to have. What's a struggle most people don't get to see behind the scenes?"

[05:30] Mukul: "In this Insta-friendly world, most people don't see the journey."

[7:00] Mukul: "My appreciation for my alone time has increased dramatically with my travels."

[08:00] Mukul's life-changing realizations from traveling.

[9:45] Mukul: "Humankind is very beautiful in underrated ways… we're very self-critical… but it's only when we see good in ourselves that we grow the good."

[10:55] Mukul: "I feel like I keep refining the definition of 'sustainability' the more I actually get to know or use it… there are so many things that are different in different parts of the world."

[12:10] Mukul: "[Sustainable living] is really not supposed to be guilt-oriented, but mostly for the love for the environment you live in."

[14:40] Kaméa: "What does it take to be an engaging visual storyteller?"

[15:35] Mukul: "It's an era of info-overload… we need to be very minimal… create less, but create with heart and mind."

[16:20] Keys to Mukul establishing himself as an internationally exhibited photographer.

[20:00] Mukul: "Don't be perfect. There's so much perfect stuff on the internet it's unbelievable."

Words of inspiration: “It's gonna be fine. It's gonna be great. You're gonna keep rocking. Keep going. Life is really short so make the best of it."

Green tip: “Do everything that makes you happy… feel new. The moment you do that, you're instantly sustainable to yourself, and eventually to everything around you.”

Element of hope: The power of the internet to connect people.

Words of Wisdom: "Go play. Get some flowers, have fun, drink some matcha, and be happy."