The Hindu : New Delhi News : Bringing alive historic buildings

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Wednesday, Jan 10, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Bringing alive historic buildings

FREEZE FRAME: A photograph of Delhi's Jama Masjid at the show.

It is a chance to see the Capital's "best" squeezed into a room. Focusing on the city's heroes, Pranab Kumar Mukhopadhyay has chosen to turn his lens on the monuments of Delhi. Aptly titled "Footprints of Time -- Qutub Minar to Lal Quila", his exhibition of photographs brings alive these historic buildings.

While there might be an aggressive advertising campaign by the Union Ministry of Tourism and Culture to get people not to damage their heritage, monuments in the city are still not an integral part of their lives. Often just buildings that whiz past them on their route to work, history is still only part of the landscape of the city. Mukhopadhyay, however, is not one of those people. Inspired by the monuments, his photographs explore other aspects apart from just architecture. And looking at the finer elements of the buildings, the exhibition features 30 monuments from the early Sultanate period, Tughlaq, Lodhi period and finally to the Mughal dynasty.

"During the 12th Century to 18th Century Delhi remained the hub of experiments and assimilation of traditional and Islamic building concepts and conventions. This exhibition looks at the fascinating story of our built heritage," he says.

Taken over a period of time, these pictures often tell the story of these buildings through the years. "The photographs were shot over six years from 1999. As they grew in number, they narrated a compelling story," he says. The exhibition is being held at Palm Court of India Habitat Centre and is on view up to January 13. -- Mandira Nayar

-- Mandira Nayar

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