India and the Sacred

India, a vast sub-continent, created an original civilization which saw the birth and growth of the biggest religions.  Hinduism, Buddhism, but equally so Jainism and Sikhism.  This thousand year old land, where faiths coexist, cultures blend together, and yet is thirsty for modernity, will always remain the symbol of spirituality.  From birth until death, life is thus rhythmed by the meetings with the sacred.  This permanent presence of the divine in the cycle of existence constitutes the plot of this work in which, through witnesses and meetings, one can follow the youth and its rites of initiation, the celebrations and the festival of the adult age, and finally the rites of passage towards death.  The quality of the photographs taken by Frederic Soltan marvelously describes the poetic universe of this fascinating country.  Dominique Rabotteau and Frederic Soltan have produced and directed a large number of documentaries about India for France Televisions.  Their films as well as Frederic Soltan’s photos are illustrations of a sincere meeting with men and women who, in their daily life, their festivals and rituals, permit us to understand better a civilization which is one of the oldest in the world, and to appreciate its variety and its vitality.