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India through their eyes
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"Beautiful India" exhibition had on display photos taken by expatriates
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PHOTO: K.V. SRINIVASAN
CAPTURING MEMORIES At the "Beautiful India" exhibition
"I don't see myself as a resident," said Mike Connor, British Deputy High Commissioner, Southern India. "Expatriates, I think, are guests and friends. The photo exhibition is our perception of India." He was one of the judges at the photography contest titled "Beautiful India", organised by Global Adjustments and Taj Coromandel recently. The contestants and audience were from Britain, America, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, France, Hungary, Brazil, Korea and Thailand.
Photos can be of moments or of objects. And, many among the 275 entries at the exhibition captured moments.
"I was at the Taj Mahal and was reflecting on it and saw its reflection in the pond," said Nancy Reisig on "Reflections", which won her the "Overall Best". "I cannot remember why I took this picture," said Philippe Armand, from France, referring to his "Mourning in Varanasi", which won him the first prize in the "Global Adjustment Favourite". The picture is shot from behind a man and focuses on his head with a white, thin tuft of hair, his white shirt and the black outline of the book that he is holding. The script in the book is slightly out of focus. "I was in the prayer hall and was carried away by the rhythm and the emotion of the singers. I tried to capture the intensity of the moment," said Armand. "Can one train hide another one?" that won him the first prize in "India in Black and White" category shows a train approaching and people crossing the tracks, ducking under the bar with the "Stop" sign. "I was amazed that people were indifferent to the danger." He shot it in black and white to capture the dynamism of the moment. "U've said sandstorm?", which won him the "Crowd Favourite" (chosen by the audience) award, was taken when he was atop a hill in Jaisalmer. He witnessed his first sandstorm and a rainstorm that followed. "It dwarfs us," he says, reminiscing the moment.
Jennifer Mauldin, from Britain, was trying to capture her family's experience of India through her photographs. She won the second prize in the "Into India" category for her "Jack's Car Pooja." It shows her then four-year-old son Jack mesmerised by the puja being done for their car by the driver.
Cinematographer and director, Rajiv Menon, who was one of the judges, said, "We think of India as chaotic. But the expatriates are able to see the tonal variations, the composition and the contrast in the scenes. What we turn a blind eye to, they are able to look at, in a different light." "I liked that many of the photos were able to connect the old and the emerging India," said Prabhat Verma, General Manager, Taj Coromandel, and one of the judges." Mike Connor was impressed by the different perspectives.
"Through `Beautiful India' we try to play down the negative and showcase the positive," said Ranjini Manian, who heads Global Adjustments. Over the years, the way the expatriates perceive India has changed and therefore the organiser have added two new categories — "Booming India", to capture "the emerging India", and "Into India", "to capture the expatriate's growing interest to engage with this country". The evening began with a Mohiniattam performance by Gopika Varma.
ASHA MENON
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