an ode to india: short film by david nyk captures contrasting layers of chaos and serenity

david nyk has traveled across india to document the multilayered character of the country in a short film, visiting both famous and less popular destinations to experience all it has to offer. besides the touristic cities of delhi and agra, ‘an ode to india’ captures several unexpected frames, such as the pacing cows along the beaches of goa, a tea ceremony with a sadhu in the mountains of manali by chance, and a traditional coorg wedding.

sunrise on the banks of a river in goa

encountering endearing locals, fellow travelers and adventurers, david nyk has ‘weaved’ together a multitude of images that combine a medley of chaos and serenity, from the busy streets of old delhi to the quiet mountains of manali. beyond documenting, the filmmaker and photographer has traveled to six different parts of the country from north to south, including goa, banglaore, manali, and coorg, to encourage others to see india beyond the touristic spots of taj mahal and rajasthan.

dusk at the train station in delhi

‘an ode to india’ is what nyk describes ‘a passion project’, with direction, camera, and editing work all done by him and combined with drone footage of his fellow traveler niklas siemens. the short film is accompanied by composer max LL’s ‘roma’, a piece which nyk attempted to bring to life through his moving images.

on the road of goa towards one of their many beaches

in the himalayas region near manali

outskirts of manali’s town centre

on the way up the rohtang pass

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: sofia lekka angelopoulou | designboom