DIMITRIS SIDERIDIS
Soil is our Mother

In Kolhapur, India, traditional wrestling kushti is not merely a sport, but a way of life and a living form of cultural memory.
Each year, young men and adolescents migrate there to become wrestlers, training for many hours under challenging conditions, while sharing communal spaces for cooking and sleeping. The bonds they form within the community extend beyond the wrestling pit.
The project documents how discipline, dedication, rituals, and physical practice transmit knowledge and preserve tradition.
Through photography it captures this world, portraying the wrestlers’ daily lives and the intersection of past and present. It reveals a world where wrestling becomes a bridge between collective memory and the continuation of cultural heritage.
These photos are a key part of larger project.

Author
Dimitris Sideridis is a Greek photographer/filmmaker/visual artist whose award-winning work has appeared in some of the world’s biggest digital publications, among others. He is the founder of Imagefields Lab, an Athens-based film production company which focuses on producing documentary films, mixed media artworks, and organizes educational workshops. He has a long-standing collaboration with Al Jazeera both as a photo-editor on its digital platform and as a photojournalist in the field, covering a wide range of social and anthropological issues. He also collaborates with CNN on culture and travel topics.His work has been awarded in many international competitions with over 40 awards and distinctions, while his photographs have been exhibited both in Greece and abroad. He holds a MA in “Photography and Visual Language” from the Middlesex University of London.

Website
dimitrissideridis.com

Instagram
@sideridisdimitris

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