“The idea is not to project the country as a war zone,” said Sood (55), former Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan, at the opening of the exhibition titled ‘Footloose in Afghanistan’. He is holding the exhibition with Mawji, who is the representative of the Agha Khan Development Network in Afghanistan.

Comprising 41 photographs, the exhibition at the India Habitat Centre chronicles Sood’s tenure in the region.

“The pictures have several memories attached. Being in the region was a challenge and there were several difficulties, but in the end it was a satisfying experience,” said Sood.

While the avid photographer always carried his Nikon digital camera when he was on the road, the idea of holding an exhibition cropped up only at the end of his three-year tenure. “Aly and I decided that we needed to share them with others,” he said. The duo sifted through hundreds of photographs and gave each chosen frame a title to match.

Sood pointed to an image titled ‘Working Lunch’ and narrated the story behind the picture that shows a group of men sitting crossed leg on the floor and feasting. “We were passing by when the villagers insisted we should join them for lunch. Within minutes the lavish meal was spread out for us,” smiled Sood.

Though the exhibition is being held only in Delhi, the prints were exhibited in Kabul in December. “The response there was very encouraging. We hope that people in Delhi also like it.”