top of page

Priests of the Condemned

Synopsis

"Priests of the Condemned" portraits the life in the leper colonies situated in shadows of Himalaya. In the world's once last Hindu Kingdom of Nepal, leprosy - now easily curable - is yet regarded as a curse of gods, those deities who forsake the Kathmandu Valley each year for the length of the monsoon season. As the rains pour down, humankind is left to stand alone, defenseless against the demons who dole out afflictions for the transgressions of former lives. Leprosy is one such punishment. In Nepal one reckons with 170,000 instances of leprosy of which many are severely handicapped, hands, feet and face badly deformed. A large number, because of fear, horror and religious dogmas , have been rejected from family and village communities. They have no means of existence, no abode nor anything to eat , neither is suitable medical treatment available. These dire circumstances drive them to the cities where they vegetate as beggars.

bottom of page