Wild beauties: Ashwini Bhatia’s ‘Orchids of Dharamshala’ offers a sneak peek into the world of orchids

Wild orchids hide in plain sight. Between the foliage, under fallen leaves, often behind their diminutive size — their unremarkable persona makes them invisible, just like that. Or so it seemed to Ashwini Bhatia, a photographer, whose life took a turn when he decided to, one day, bend down on his knees and look at one such flower closely.

He is now out with a book, ‘Orchids of Dharamshala’, a pictorial guide to wild orchids found in the town and the surrounding Dhauladhars. He still remembers the first time he saw one up, close.

As he writes in the Preface: “I was surprised to see tiny flowers arranged on a thin stalk projecting from the middle of the leaves. Each flower was about 1 cm across and not much taller. It had a flat face with two ear-like projections above, a nose-like peg in the middle, a thin beard and an opening below the nose. I thought it resembled the face of a cartoon mouse. The flower was pale-green with purple markings, suggesting eyebrows. It was incredible!”

The book is the result of over five years of exploration and documentation. It describes 28 orchid species, each one visited time and again.

Photographs describe their complex anatomy, bringing to light their most elusive characters, be it the structure of their reproductive parts or the microscopic seeds — what are orchids, the history of the species, how Darwin’s Orchid got its name, mentions in Indian scriptures, uses in Ayurveda, et al.

Bhatia says the aim of the book, published by The Mythe Guild Trust, is to be part of the evidence of the rich natural heritage of the Kangra valley. “The fragile eco-systems that have supported orchids and other native forms of plant and insect life in these hills are increasingly at risk due to environmental changes and loss of habitat brought about by unchecked growth,” he writes.